


Battle Academy

by Landerfond



Series: Battle Academy [1]
Category: Original Work
Genre: Gen, Multi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-11-05
Updated: 2019-11-08
Packaged: 2021-01-23 18:49:30
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 19
Words: 29,499
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21324943
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Landerfond/pseuds/Landerfond
Summary: In this world, certain children are chosen by famous figures and gods from the past to the present in order to complete one of three things to work in their armies, to take their place, or to surpass them. When the children come of age they go to a school to receive advanced education in battle and academics. These schools are called Battle Academies. This story focuses on Raja, a boy recently adopted by the strong and wealthy Nagira family, his family and his friends on their adventures and journey.
Series: Battle Academy [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1537360





	1. Ch 1: Car Rides and Introductions

It was a bright day in Tokyo as Raja, who is looking out the window was riding in the BMW his new adoptive family, the Nagira Family, owned before he went to school with their youngest child Sarah. It was halfway through the summer Raja was sitting alone in an orphanage in an Indian village eating his lunch before the Nagira's parents came up to him and asked him.

Raja: "What's your motto"

Car driver: " I don't have one"

Raja: "Oh, whoops sorry blurted that out without thinking"

Car driver: "No problem kid, might need one later on though"

Raja: " I'm sure it'll be fitting for a BMW driver"

Car driver: " HAH! My names Torn Engino, But you can call me Torno"

Raja: " Well nice to meet you Torno my names Raja"

Torno: " Well Raja it's nice to meet my new master"

Raja: "Master?"

Torno: " Yup, I'm not only the Nagira family driver. I am the family butler"

Raja tried to look at Torno but all he could see through the sun's light was black wavy hair on brown-ish skin. Getting a bit impatient Raja decides to lessen uptime by making conversation with Torno. 

Raja: "Why were you chosen to be a butler?"

Torno: "Why were you chosen?"

Raja: "Combat ability and motto"

Torno: " let's say I'm here for the same reason"

Raja: "Is this a yes to future sparring sessions?"

Torno: "I won't be at full power against you"

Raja: "I would rather have a slow relation build anyways in terms of combat"

Torno: "I sense some similarities so we should get along"

He was surprised when the car stopped suddenly that he jumped a little. Raja looked over to the slightly large home he was going to be living in from now on. As excited as he was nervous he pushed on with his luggage in order to live his life. Now he decided to move into his new home. As he opens the door to see his new home he is met with the sight of a well built, six foot five, and pretty girl with red eyes and long blonde hair that has black highlights. She was wearing a white tank-top and sports shorts, but both seemed to pronounce her figure more than necessary. As his eyes scrolled down he noticed something in her right hand. It was a three-foot katana without a handguard and a wooden hilt which made it extremely easy to grip and manipulate. Then there was the blade that was thin yet sturdy allowing for a quick and powerful strike. Then Raja snapped back to his senses as she looked over at him.

Raja: "Wait what the?"


	2. Meeting a Member

Raja: "Wait What?"

Tall Girl: " Torno who's this kid?"

Torno: "your new brother Raja mistress Sarah"

Sarah: " he's kinda cute"

Sarah proceeds to inspect his face and body. After about three minutes of inspection, she looks up at him and glances towards Torno.

Sarah:"I'm going to call him Raji"

Raja: "Raji?"

Sarah: "your new nickname, Like it?"

Raja: "I like it, but not too much. By the way, what's with the large katana there?"

Sarah: "Oh, I was just about to practice my combat skills"

Raja: "hmmm, why would practice with a blade?"

Sarah: "For school"

Raja: "school? Which one?"

Sarah: "Battle Academy, a school for the historically chosen and blessed children"

As Torno was moving Rajas' luggage upstairs he quickly decided to mention something important.

Torno: "Raja is gonna be going there with you to the Battle Academy"

Raja: "Battle Academy?"

Sarah: "Really? who chose Raji?"

Raja: "Chosen? Can I get some kind of explanation"

Sarah: "Oh, At Battle Academy, all students are chosen by famous figures in order to either work for, inherit, or surpass the one they were chosen by"

*pauses*

Sarah: "I was chosen by Izanami Japanese matron of the dead"

Raja: "Oh I see, as far as being chosen I didn't even know I was chosen"

Sarah: "There are machines for that"

Raja: "So when Are we going?"

Sarah: "How about after a practice fight"

Raja: "Why?"

Sarah: "My parents wouldn't adopt someone for any other reason than immense combat talent"

Raja: "So how good are you?"

*From upstairs*

Torno: "MISTRESS SARAH IS WORLD RENOWNED FOR HER COMBAT TALENT AGAINST BOTH WEAPON USERS AND MARTIAL STYLE USERS WITH HER BLADE"

Raja: "Dang there goes my chances"

Sarah: "Well we won't know till we fight will we?C'mon let's go test each other out"

Raja hasn't had a family before so he isn't sure this is a normal family. Nonetheless, they accepted him for a reason so he shouldn't let them down on his first day.

Raja: "Yea Let's go"


	3. Sparring practice

As Raja and Sarah were heading towards the backyard to have a sparring match for his assessment Sarah wouldn't stop looking at his perfectly sized tiger onesie in deep curiosity.

Raja: "What's so interesting about my onesie"

Sarah: "Do you fight in that?"

Raja: "Yes, Why?"

Sarah: "My parents wouldn't adopt a child unless they were an amazing fighter"

Raja: "Is that why you invited me for sparring practice?"

Sarah: "That's exactly what I'm doing"

As they open the door to the backyard Raja looks around and sees a fairly large backyard with a tall fence. Without any words, they quietly get into their basic fighting stances. Sarah angles her right leg a little to the right, she moves her left leg forward, she then raises her katana and aiming at him by moving her left elbow to the right side of her chest and lifting her right arm. Raja prepares by getting his arms into a face guarding boxing stance by bending his knees and keeping his eyes on her. Suddenly she was in front of him blade rising upwards toward his trachea with the idea of instantly finishing the match so that she can win before he even moves. Raja realized this much quicker than Sarah had expected, and upon realizing this he shoots both his hands toward his neck making an X with open palms surprisingly strong enough to block her katana and all its force with nothing but his right palm and the left hand behind it for support. Realizing his actions she pulls the sword down and quickly thrusts for his stomach. Raja proceeds to fall on his knees and bend his abdomen all the way back. As the blade is right above him he claps his hands onto the blade stopping its movement before bouncing off his tiptoes to dig both his knee caps into her jaw. She seemed to have taken that attack on purpose because as soon as the a was finished, she swung her katana three times faster than she has ever done before slicing the top of his nose bridge across nearly blinding both eyes.

Raja: "Dang, no mercy huh"

Sarah: "This is coming from the guy who just kneed my jaw so hard I think it's broken"

As she said this blood dripped from her mouth. They looked at each other then Sarah started laughing. When she finished laughing Raja got back into a fighting position, Suddenly Torno Appeared to stop the match.


	4. Small Interruption

As Torno came in Raja finally got a good look at him for the first time. He was 5'8 with a fairly muscular build more focused on having bulked arms and legs but a thinner torso. Tan skin with a slight indication of possible Latino descent. Small head with a slightly spiked back hairstyle that still covers enough of the forehead with his red hair to show the pure teal eyes he could boast about, And his average-sized nose fit with his small mouth on his shaven and pointy chinned face. As a male, he would probably earn an 8/10 from most.

Torno: "Hey kids just a reminder that we're going to Battle Academy tomorrow so let's try not to wreck the backyard."

Sarah: "That all?"

Torno: "Yup! enjoy your fight, and try to finish before dinner."

As we stood back into combat position we waited for the signal to continue our practice. As Torno was heading back to the kitchen they heard a loud whistle and leaped for each other. Now flying towards each other Raja went for a leaping right hook on Sarah to which she simply dodged and countered by smashing the handle of the katana into his forehead damaging me and blurring his vision for a second. It was obvious that she was trying harder this time since she immediately continued on. She then threw her sheathed weapon at his dominant right foot using Raja's slight wince of pain to bring him down lower to the ground. As his head was now only one foot off the ground she drew her katana, and by doing so her blades kashira (butt of a katana) smashed into his jaw. As she did this she said a line that helped him realize what he needed to do.

Sarah: "Blade style- guidance to the underworld, that's is my basic fighting style"

Quickly pushing down with his jaw Raja forced her katana back into its sheath, and by doing this he disrupted her flow of attacks. He then gripped her weapon with his right hand as he lifted his jaw off the top of the blade and threw it upwards. Sarah didn't let go of her blade though. Raja expected this and spun his hips so that he could send a kick using his left leg to hit her left inner thigh. By kicking her left inner thigh with enough strength her leg moved outward, this is partially due to her loose footing from disrupted flow in an awkward position, leaning her body to the side. He then brought his foot back in a different direction so that his heel kicked her left foot and sent her other leg in the opposite direction while planting his foot in a comfortable position that let him do his next attack. Raja then does a knife thrust with his hand vertically into her chest to strike the center of her rib cage. As the vibrations of his strike spread the pain through her body while the force of it sent her flying backward, And as she was flying Raja looked at her blushing and said.

Raja: "Wing Chun stage-1, and one of my two basic styles for now"

Sarah looks at him with joy and excitement as she says in a harping voice mixed with laughter.

Sarah: "I hope next time we fight we both go all out and you touching my breasts doesn't embarrass you. Though I do have to say you being embarrassed made you look quite cute Raji"

Raja takes a deep breath and starts to lose energy to the point where his legs were starting to give in. As he was falling she jumped and caught him by his arm.

Raja: "Whoa sorry don't mean to drop on you all of a sudden. My body just got real weak"

Sarah: "well that's because my fighting style hits acupuncture points on a human and gods, so that means my nasal point strike finally kicked in"

As Raja and Sarah went inside for dinner with Torno he looked at this new family of his and decided.

Raja: "Well this place was fun thanks to some interesting people and developments"

Raja was now ecstatic with his adopted family and the work he's getting into. As he got into his bed thinking.

Raja (In his head): "Man today was fun, but I can't help but feel excited" 

So he went to bed with all the excitement in his eyes as he waited for his new school life. This will be the first fight of many in this "New" world of his.


	5. Prep Morning (Raja)

As Raja woke up at 5:00 so he could practice before the first day of this combat school I felt something warm against my body that felt familiar. As he looked around to see what it was, he noticed it wasn't a what but a who. At first, all he could make out was long hair on a fairly tall body. When his eyes came back into focus it revealed the person to be Sarah. he had been holding on to her abs and keeping his right leg tucked in between her legs. She had been curled around him with their heads touching and her hair laying over her back. 

Feeling embarrassed that her chest wasn't too far from his face he stopped moving and instead focused on the black center of her blonde hair. He tried to move away by pulling back his arms, but she curled up tighter instead. now that her breast was actually touching his face he began to get worried about her waking up. In trying to find a way out he looked around for any openings in her arms and caught a glimpse of her clothing. She was wearing a simple white tank top and a pair of red and black sports shorts which stopped halfway to her thighs. Raja looked at the clock to see that it was 5:30, which surprised him since he was going to take a shower around 5:45 before they left, urging him to get out of bed. As he started to sit up he saw that her tank top was small enough to reveal her stomach and her bellybutton. But then it caught my eye, there was a tattoo around her bellybutton that was a pair of black kama sickles put into an X shape on her belly button which looked like a pure red dot. After looking at it for five minutes he got out of bed and headed towards the bathroom for a bath. 

As he finished the morning bath, Torno handed him the clothes and said he'd take Raja for a complete grooming session, since he looked like he needed a do-over, and so that Sarah could take her bath. As Torno took Raja to the salon he watched from the windows like a child seeing a new country for the first time, the streets were crowded and colorful from all the shops lining the area. The occasional openings for parks made him quite happy as well since they were all full of kids hanging out with their friends while they had free time, Raja enjoyed it because it was something he never had as a kid growing up, and seeing others enjoy it made his spirits rise like never before. Now that they had reached the salon, they walked up to the front desk only for Raja to find out that Torno had booked in advance for him to have a complete makeover. As soon as Raja walked in a stylist grabbed his arm and threw him into a chair. The stylist slapped on a styling cape and trimmed his hair into something more light and flowing. And after his hair was done Torno wouldn't let him see a mirror until the tiger onesie was opened and the hood was down. As Raja looked into the mirror, he was honestly surprised that it looked the way it did. The mirror revealed a 6ft 1in tan boy. With a pointed chin and weaker cheek features to try and compliment the almond colored eyes, his new hair cut was a simple single short combed style. Finally, he was ready for school and he wasn't going to let anything bring him down without a fight.


	6. School Grounds

After the haircut, Raja and Torno started to go back home so they could pick up Sarah and go to school. As they got home Sarah was standing outside in what looked like combat gear. She had on a black skin-tight costume with some red slab armor on her left arm and on her legs, However, she also had a chest piece of red armor that covered her from her chest to her back in a sports bra like fashion. Her right arm was completely loose, Which Raja assumed was for her to have loose movement in her blade arm. Her shoes were heels that were more flat and low towards the ground. He proceeded to look up at her hips to notice That she had her sheathed blade attached to hook like object on her waist.

*As they are getting into the car with Torno*

Raja: " What's with the sheath attachment?"

Sarah: " While you've seen me fight with both my hands on my katana I actually use only one hand and hold the sheath in my left hand as it's detached from my hip"

Raja: "So you went easy on me when we fought earlier didn't you"

Sarah: "No, that was sparring practice for me to test your basic skills, Plus you weren't even trying were you?"

Raja: "So you could tell that I was holding back"

Sarah: "We both were and that's completely okay, But know that the moment I feel like your life is in any sort of danger I will fight back as seriously as the situation demands it"

Torno suddenly interrupts the conversation in a joking tone.

Torno: "Dang it, that's my line"

Sarah looks over to Torno with a big grin on her face as she triumphantly states.

Sarah: "While you do it out of work and wish I do it out of pure love and care."

Raja: "Man I guess I'm lucky to have a sister who cares about me so much"

Sarah once again states something with all certainty in her mind.

Sarah: "I mean that from a women's perspective of affection, not in a familial or caregivers mindset."

Raja: " I'm just gonna ignore that and ask a serious question."

Sarah pouts and Torno starts laughing very hard as he drives down what seems to be a winding road near a mountain from the side."

Raja: "When and how am I gonna figure out whether a figure has chosen me for anything.

Torno: "Well the schools located on a super holy land so a marking should appear on your body to show what figure has chosen you to have a chance at succession"

As he said this I looked out the window to see where we where however instead of seeing the same sight I saw before the image that greeted me was that the road was now coming to an end and that we currently are on the top of some very high mountain.

Raja: "By the way, where is this academy located?"

Torno: "On top of Mt.Fuji as it so happens to be where we are at this moment."

Raja: "Okay."

They started to get out of the car and the first thing Raja saw was a very unexpected sight. Not only was there a very large amount of students coming to school, but he was greeted with a large spring bloomed and healthy garden that was connected to a cafeteria, field, five-story Dorms and training grounds before a very large school. The school itself was Shaped like a much much larger version of the American Pentagon with Seven giant towers Circling it until it got to the entrance where the eight pillars would've been had they not accepted students. Suddenly Raja felt a tingle on his forehead. As he felt his forehead nothing was bumpy or swollen. All of a sudden as he looked over at Torno and Sarah he saw two different faces. Sarah was beaming with excitement and happiness, meanwhile, Torno looked like he had just seen a ghost. Sarah whipped out her pocket mirror show him, Raja, his face. As he looked into the mirror he saw a sideways thin eye tattoo right smack dab in the center of his forehead. As Sarah went on to Cheer in place Raja looked over to Torno and said.

Raja: "I don't get it. Who chose me?"

Torno: " Well that tattoo is a sign that the Indian God of Destruction Shiva Has chosen you"

Raja: "I don't get what's so special about it though."

Torno: "Well you see Shiva is extremely powerful and rare when it comes to picking his candidates After all the rumor has it the last one he chose was in the Ancient Indian times"

Raja: "Oh."

As raja thought about it he decided to do some arm stretches before he goes to the initiation ceremony. As Raja stretched his arms he accidentally hit someone in the chest. Raja turned to see who it was so he could apologize to them.

Raja: "I'm sorry"

Handsome 5ft9in Man: "No problem man... mind if I walk with you guys to the initiation?"


	7. Vines in an Undergrowth

Raja immediately turned around to apologize to the person he hit in the face with his stretches. As Raja inspected the man he made sure to quickly pick up all the small details. The stranger was 5ft 9in, male, tan, wore combat boots that were up to his ankles, cargo shorts that dropped to his knees, no shirt, a short-sleeved army coat, A dog tag with nothing but the engraving of a garden, and very chiseled body that looked like it had seen its fair share of battles. Raja proceeded to examine his arms and face before continuing the conversation. Both his arms were very well built and quite long, but his hands were smaller and more compact so that they could pack a stronger punch when directly hit by his punch. There was something interesting about his hands though. His right hand had a fingerless leather glove with iron knuckles, but his left hand was bare except for the metal bracelet he had around his wrist that had a golden flask chained to it. His face was well built since he had a moderate jawline, rounded single chin, liquor brown eyes, small cheeks, cut sideburns that stopped right in the middle of his ears, green hair that was kept in a quiff style, but his most catching quality was the region of his eyes. There was a large vertical scar going down his face from his left side of his forehead down his cheek to his left jaw, the scar was purple just like ripe grapes. The color of his eyes was unique, in that it was liquor Brown until you hit his pupils which were clear and reflective. All in all, people would say he was very very attractive for a teenager, which in turn made Raja jealous to an uncomfortable point.

Raja: " I'm sorry I didn't mean to hit you with my hand like that."

Grecian godchild: "No problem, to be very honest I am very lost so any kind of company would be appreciated."

Raja: "Then it's very nice to meet you my name is Raja this is my sister Sarah and our butler/bodyguard."

Vine: "Nice to meet you my name is Vine Assyrtiko Agiorgitiko, but you can just call me Vine."

Raja and Sarah: "It's very nice to meet you."

Vine: "Same here, back to the subject of me joining you guys on your way to the initiation."

Raja looked around to check for confirmation since he personally trusted his generally nice personality. Torno seemed okay with letting Vine join the gang, But Sarah didn't seem to trust him all that much so she stared him down and said.

Sarah: "I don't have anything against you, but if your trying to harm my Raji I will personally lead you through the land of the dead."

Vine: " I never intended to injure any of you in the first place.

Suddenly Vines's eyes got more serious and deadly as his pupils glinted red with preparation for an upcoming battle. His tone went from a friendly neighbor to the cold sadist who is about to rip his victims apart slowly. The sadist analogy wasn't pushed away by his eerie smile that showed his sharp canines that looked stronger and sharper than a knife.

Vine: "However, if any of you try to initiate anything I can't agree with I will show you why I'm known as the liquor that wipes the world"

Sarah: "Are you willing to put your motto on the line in this battle?"

Vine: " I put my motto on the line at all times just by breathing."

Sarah ran closer to Raja locking her arms to his left arm but kept an intense focus on Vine. As the atmosphere was getting very on edge Sarah said something very relieving to all of us.

Sarah: "I trust you for now, but my warning still stands."

Vine's face relaxed along with his eyes and tone, but Raja could still tell that he was focusing on Sarah and her katana intently out the side of his eye.

As we were walking Raja decided to shift the topic by asking about the school. He thought about all the important topics which led him to start with the initiation.

Raja: "So how's the initiation supposed to work?"

Vine: " I would assume that it would be a quick speech before we find out which class we get put into."

As they kept walking they got to the entrance of the school. The entire ring surrounding the school was mainly garden filled with all kinds of things ranging from picnic areas to courts made for students to duel. At the entrance was a TV that displayed a message board. There was only one message to read so it was quite large. The message informed them that the initiation begins at twelve at the Rear of the school. Raja checked the time to see how long they had only to realize that it was 11:45 and that the walk to the back would take about ten minutes if they left now.

Raja: "We should head down there then I guess?"

Sarah: "Yup, I'm ready to go."

Vine: "I've already used the bathroom and eaten so I'll be good until about 1:00"

Torno: "As long as I'm around I'll be ready."

Raja: "Sweet then let's go to the initiation then."

As Raja and the gang were heading around the school to the back for the initiation Raja took in the scenery. He was surrounded by vast green fields with the right amount of sun on each to keep it warm yet fertile. The flowers varied in color, type, and shape giving it a beautiful diversity that was very similar to the diversity of humans on earth around all the countries. The closer they got to the rear the more they realized that the path was becoming wider and higher to the point where it formed a cliff at the point of the mountain school. At the very tip of the mountain stood a stage with a set of microphones for the teachers and important figures. At the very center of the mics was a man with pure silver hair and eyes that give off a very "Chronological" feel as if they had seen a multitude of tragedies as well as festivals at the same time. Suddenly he stood up and walked up to the mic, to show he was around 5ft 8in and built. Then as the gang and the multitude of students stood there staring at him as though he was a miracle shining before their eyes. The man smiled and leaned in to speak into the mic.

Centurious: " hello I'm your new headmaster Centurious and I have come to tell you something very important."

His smile shot and revealed his timeless smile that stretched across his face that had the features of times the greatest moments and happiest times along with his atrocious scars that were stamped across his forehead.

Centurious: " We are the future influenced by the past that exists in the present to show that anyone here can become anything ranging from guarding a god to taking over a god's place. Now some people here could also become mass murderers, psychopaths, and even possibly the main factor in the survival of the entire multiverse. BUT! FOR NOW, WE ENJOY, WE SUFFER, AND WE LIVE FOR THE MOMENT!"

He then stood straight again and sat down in his seat keeping his smile down to a grin. Raja had never heard a speech like this before, but it inspired him and rekindled his need for a journey that excites him, and that was enough to make him thankful.


	8. Initiation Starts

After Centurious sat down a lady in a light brown office accountants uniform stood up and walked to the mic before introducing herself. She was fairly peach colored with autumn red eyes and hair, that was kept in a flat bun, and stood around 6ft without the green flats she was currently wearing. As far as facial features went she had a well-rounded face and a slightly smaller nose to make up for the lips that had a fair thickness and large width. She began to speak in a deeper than expected voice along with her smooth tone surprising everyone in the crowd.

Office lady: "Hello students my name is Maple Host Trad and I'll be something of a vice-principle to you kids here at school."

She had an accent like she was someplace more along the European North, Swedish as Raja deduces, but still spoke clearly and eloquently.

Maple: "As your vice-principle, I ask that you now follow me and Headmaster Centurious somewhere."

All the students began to follow Maple and Centurious to the front of the school. As they were walking the headmaster began talking.

Centurious: " I have two things to tell you, students, as we walk towards the front of the school: Firstly I must say that as a headmaster I do prefer being closer to my students through nicknames, and as it would seem my name is quite long thus if you wish you can call me Century for short."

Raja preferred saying that to his original name due to the length and difficulty he'd always have to use. Maple began to speak with her eyes on us.

Maple: "Before the headmaster trails off I shall tell you the second topic of the day. For initiation, we hold two different tests every year, one of which is always a written exam, and in order for you to be here means that you have already passed the written exams."

Raja got confused since he didn't remember taking the written exam for the school, but eventually, he remembered something important. Before he left the orphanage the caretakers thrust a bunch of tests at him saying "These are to make sure you are ready for the outside world." Then he muttered something.

Raja: *mutters* "I knew cross-population mathematical skills and advanced economic monitoring wasn't taught in recess."

Sarah & Torno: *Laughing under breath*

Vine Then muttered something under his breath.

Vine: *mutters* " So they lied when they told me you had to know how to take an advanced trigonometry test in order to win a drinking competition."

Suddenly the students around Raja and Vine began to giggle and laugh under their breath. Centurious also began to laugh in his distant tone. Maple waited for everyone to finish before she began to move as she spoke.

Maple: "In terms of the second test we change it up every year to see which students make it completely into the school to fulfill their role as real people chosen by the gods."

When she finished saying this we ended up in front of the school. Suddenly she points at the entrance and leads us into the main halls of the school. The halls of the school are marble walls with red marble pillars to support the roof. The roof was a large glass mural of A group of students as though they were made in their honor or something. Maple began speaking again as she navigated the halls.

Maple: "For the non-written exam comes in the form of three team skirmishes. However, if you wish to fight in a smaller group or solo your skirmish shall be in a different area."

Centurious: " Every year I change the second exam to test different features I expect from you. This implies that there is a hidden quality I'll look for in this test. Can anybody take a guess what it is?"

At first, nobody answered since this battle could test many things, but nobody wanted to give any stupid or obvious answers seeing as they would look bad when they get it wrong. After about a minute of silence, vine spoke up.

Vine: " I'm guessing it's strength and awareness of surroundings?"

Centurion made a surprised face when he heard this, but it faded after about three seconds into the face of understanding.

Centurion: " So I'm guessing you can read people really easily. He is right though which impresses me and excites me."

Maple suddenly shot her hand up knocking down the headmaster and signaling that we reached wherever we were going. We had reached a gigantic set of doors close to the back of the main school building. As soon as maple opened the door all Raja and the gang could see was a portal behind the door. Nobody except Raja was surprised about this in the slightest, however, this taught him that he was the only one truly unprepared for this school. Sarah and Vine noticed his surprise and tried to analyze how he was handling this new information. Sarah leaned and whispered into his left ear.

Sarah: " No need to worry Raji this school was made to choose the children of god so you being here and having a mark shows that you are ready to come here, however you should get used to this stuff since weirder will happen when you stay here longer."

Raja calmed down a bit when she told him this as a shock calmer for him. he took tried to adjust but was struck with awe at the event happening before him. Vine came closer to him, meanwhile, Sarah quickly puts her hand on her sheath and right hand on Raja's left shoulder, and told him some advice.

Vine: " I once learned that in times of shock and awe is when we make the most mistakes. Stay calm and take a deep breath or else you might make a mistake."

Raja was glad that they were looking out for him during this time and decided that he shouldn't let his new family down. He stopped thinking about it for a second and took a deep breath holding the air for a while before slowly exhaling and letting all his worries slip away before him. Maple began speaking about the test again so he paid attention before going into the exam.

Maple: "So before we begin we shall establish groups then explain the rules after going into the portal. I ask you now that if you are a group of three you and your group go stand on the right side of the portal in your respective groups, and for the singles and duo's to stand on the left side of the door."

All the people began to stand with their respective groups and or be on the left side. Vine looked towards Raja for confirmation if he's with them to which he answered with a nod. They all began walking towards the right side of the portal with the rest of the groups. As they were standing there Raja looked over at the line of singles and doubles across the hall. Many of the ones standing to left looked very powerful and scary, but then one duo caught his eye especially hard. It was a boy and girl who looked to be the same age but the Boy wore an original Japanese black kimono whereas the sister was wearing a red flower print kimono. The reason they caught his eye is that it looked like the girl was leaping everywhere around him with a visibly extreme amount of excitement, However, the brother stood there with a serious expression talking to the girl calmly yet also rapidly. As Raja looked closer at them he noticed they both used katana as their weapon, and that despite their normal looking actions they both set off his voice of warning. Especially the brother gave off a very on the edge of annihilation whenever he stood there and made small movements. After all the teams had formed they walked through the portal and appeared on a pirate ship afloat on the ocean, except that all the teams had been split up accordingly onto separate ships. Suddenly a voice came from far away. Everyone looked around to see a bunch of seats meant for an arena that could seemingly hold infinite people. Among those seats was Maple and Centurious watching us when suddenly he spoke to us.

Centurious: " Rules are simple if you're knocked out then you're out of the exam as a failure and that only 100 of you can pass this time."

There were at least 333 kids here just on the boats so this pushed everyone. Raja looked up at the sky and took a deep breath only to realize that the clouds above looked weird like they were thick and covering something up, But Raja didn't pay attention to it too much. He looked forward and jumped into combat position with Sarah, Vine stood tall and had this look like he was processing something. Then it all started.

Centurious: " Good luck and BEGIN!!!!!!!"

And everyone fired off for the exam at each other.


	9. A New Body

As initiation began everyone started to fight and run for the canons on each ship. Raja began to run to the edge of the ship in order to get a better understanding of what was going on. Sarah followed behind Raja while Vine closed his eyes and stood still. After reaching the edge all Raja could see past the occasional cannon fire was that there was a vast ocean with ships in every direction. Then he noticed something. He noticed that even though they were granted this vast ocean arena all the ships were fairly closer than they could be. Out of the corner of his eye, Raja noticed that a Canon ball was on its way to their ship. He wouldn't have cared had it not been headed towards Vine who was still standing with his eyes closed for some reason. Raja ran to try and stop the cannonball from smashing into Vine, but suddenly as he leaped to stop the ball from hitting Vine his body shot forward at an incredible speed and his knee tore the canon ball apart with its force. Raja landed on the other side of the boat after his unexpected flight, but Vine remained standing with his eyes closed as though he was tuning everything out and had forgotten that they were taking a test. Raja quickly shot upwards trying to regain his composure and pay attention. He looked surprised and looked to for Sarah for answers on the situation.

Sarah: "I believe that once somebody is chosen their body starts to overflow with energy and they become very superhuman in order to properly fend off all evil and protect their figures."

Raja: " That would've been nice to know before I shot into a cannonball."

Before she could respond more cannonballs fired off and they were headed towards Raja. Caught up in the conversation he didn't notice them until it was too late for him to react. Before they landed Sarah's face contorted with extreme rage and she suddenly disappeared and all the cannonballs headed for Raja split vertically in half and missed him. After that Sarah appeared again right next to Raja and re-sheathed the end of her blade. Her face softened once again and she spoke.

Sarah: " I'll tell you more after the test Raji just make sure you're safe and in first."

Raja didn't want to disappoint so he took a deep breath and calmed down. He put on a serious face and decided to take things more seriously.

Raja: "Okay."

Sarah stopped and blushed before responding.

Sarah: " I know I just said this isn't the time and place, but that was really hot."

Raja: " We'll talk about that later. For now, I need you to protect the outer sides of the boat so that it doesn't sink, meanwhile, I'll protect Vine and the mast of the ship."

Sarah:" Got it, anything else you need me to do Raji?"

Raja:" Pay attention to the other bots and try to find the best time for us to fire back."

Sarah:" No problem."

As soon as he finished making a plan Sarah shot off the sides of the boat to fend off the cannonballs, and Raja went to go protect Vine from the coming cannonballs. As a large barrage of cannonballs was on the way Raja decided to use his fighting to redirect the cannonballs back at the ships and damage them.

Raja:" Wing Chun: level one"

He thruster his palm forward towards the first ball and touched it. After making contact with the ball he turned his palm and rolled the ball inward down the arm. Once the ball rolled onto his chest he bumped it with his chest as hard as he could and launched it towards another boat. He didn't care whether it connected to the other ship or not because his main focus was on protecting the deck and Vine. As the other balls where on their way he systematically launched each one back at the ships without hesitation. Near the edge of the ship, Sarah was teleporting around slicing the canon fire before it could come near the boat. As they were taking care of the cannonballs Vine suddenly opened his and jumped nearly 20 feet in the air.

Vine: "I just woke up and no one thought of simply jumping onto the other boats?"

Suddenly he seemingly jumped again in the air in order to launch himself at extreme speeds into another boat ripping it to shreds in seconds. Upon closer inspection, Raja also realized that Vine knocked everyone inside unconscious before using planks from the wreckage to launch himself into a different ship decimating it as well. As Raja was staring in awe as Vine leaped from ship to ship decimating them in seconds without stopping Sarah suddenly appeared before him and woke him up with her usual sweet pitched voice.

Sarah: "We can't let him upstage us now can we?"

Then she launched herself quickly into another ship, but rather than it just exploding the ship just split into pieces from three vertical slices which were very hard for even the other people who had trained for years to get into the school to see. Then she appeared near another ship with her blonde and black hair waving around before the ship split horizontally in half sending the top of the ship up into the air. Raja didn't stop at this sight, and he decided to use his new body in order to aid his team. So he ran to the left edge of the boat since there was a ship nearby and decided to jump to over to it. Then something shocked everyone, even Raja since it happened all of a sudden. Raja jumped in the direction of the ship with all his strength, too much strength, considering the result. After putting too much strength behind his leap of faith their ship had now been torn apart and destroyed by the force he applied, however, what surprised everyone was that his leap had also caused a tsunami to form behind him and crush the ships to the right of their boat. As he flew he crashed into another ship, luckily for him, the body he now had was also extremely sturdy, and quickly got up to start taking out the team on board before leaping into another ship to do the same. Seeing Raja fight kept both Sarah and Vine going. The group took out at least 3 ships each until a loud crash of lightning shot down from above. Everyone stopped after a second bolt came down and hit the water. Vine looked up to see where the bolt came from only to say something everybody forgot to mention.

Vine:" So that's where the other test takers went."

Suddenly Raja and Sarah looked up to see an airplane crashing down from the sky most likely containing the other testers. Raja paid closer attention to the plane only to realize that there were two figures standing on the front of the plane. As the plane got closer to the water the figures became recognizable as the two kimono wearing teens from earlier, but then the brother suddenly sat down on the plane's nose and the sister had a very visible grin as she grabbed her katana and drew it out of the sheath. As soon as the blade part of her weapon escaped the sheathe light blinded everyone and the sound of ripping metal and wind slicing rang out throughout the arena. When the light disappeared they saw a feat that far surpassed what Raja had done earlier. The airplane was now neatly sliced in half from the nose up to the tail, and all the students inside were either unconscious or missing limbs. Before the plane halves could crash into the surface of the water all 100 passing students were shot forth from out the doors to the arena. As the students were shot out of the doorway Raja's group landed on their feet, except for Vine who landed on his head and bounced a couple of times. As Raja landed his head was down and staring at Centurious brown dress shoes. As he looked up Centurious smiled and said very proudly to everyone.

Centurious:" To all of you here I say congratulations because you have made it to Battle Academy."

After hearing that he passed Raja looked back down, closed his eyes, and smiled since he made it.

Centurious:" Okay students now let's line up so you can get your dorm room assigned."


	10. Dorm room 535 could be fun

Centurious:" Okay students now let's line up so you can get your dorm room assigned."

The students all sat on the ground for a while before getting up. As they were getting up Maple began speaking to speak to everyone.

Maple:" Okay now let us make two lines where you are divided by gender. After that, you will be given a slip with your dorm room and the location. Unfortunately, you will not be able to stay here long so once you get your slip please head straight to your rooms. Additionally, once you enter your room you will have dorm mates and a schedule."

Judging from the fact that the lines were gender divided Raja knew that the dorms would be too. He quickly ran to Sarah and decided to tell her something before they couldn't see each other for a while.

Raja: "Since you won't be able to see me till tomorrow in class I'll try to come out early and walk over to your dorm so that we can walk to school together."

Sarah: "Okay, I'll be expecting you to come then."

Sarah looked down and frowned slightly. This sparked Raja's suspicion since he genuinely wanted her to be happy.

Raja: "Is something wrong?"

Sarah: "Since we're getting roommates I want you to get along with them since I won't be there, but I'm still worried for you."

Raja was glad for her care since he was a very new arrival into her family. He wanted to reassure her before he went into the line to get his room assigned.

Raja: "Don't worry I'll get along with them just fine, but I don't think they'll stop me from wanting to hang out with you."

She smiled and thanked him before he left for the line with Vine. When he got to the front of the line he got a slip of paper with directions to his new dorm. Under the directions, they put down some specifics on the room he had. He had room 535 in the boy's dorm, and Vine also had the same room. Finding out that Vine had the same room helped calm down Raja since that meant that he at least somewhat knew one of the other three in his room. As Vine and Raja were walking over to their new dorm they admired all the surroundings that they saw along the way. Looking at all the gardens and parks Vine decided to make some idle chat about how he would take girls to certain gardens and set the mood. They talked for a while before Vine said something to spark Raja's interest.

Vine: "Since the girls, I grew up around were either targets or prostitutes I'm really excited to get a nice somewhat feminine girl that I don't have to murder."

Raja: "What?"

Vine: "Did I forget to tell you my background?"

Raja: "Yes, and from what I just heard it sounds dangerous and intense."

Vine: "Well I was born in a Greek Navy base where I grew up underground training to be a hitman/assassin for the army to use as income. When I turned ten I was old enough to start doing jobs, and surprisingly I was pretty feared throughout both my army and Greece as an unstoppable child force."

Raja: "So that explains the warrior physique and the army jacket and pants with the black boots."

Vine: "Yea it is kind of a giveaway if it was believable. Speaking of which I'm surprised you believe me."

Raja: "Well I don't think you would lie about stuff like this to me, especially if it means you can fight well. One thing I do want to know about is that purple scar on your face."

Vine: "That's my symbol for the god Bacchus. I on my fourteenth birthday I woke up with the mark on my face and this enchanted flask attached to my wrist."

Raja: "Enchanted? Also, it appeared on your fourteenth birthday?"

Vine: "Yea it can produce an infinite amount of any alcohol I choose, also all gods children get their marks on their fourteenth birthday since their bodies can handle energy and get their enchanted item...unless they're generals."

Raja: "Generals?"

Vine: "Generals are children who are born with their god's marks and an enchanted item because they're strong enough at birth to take the energy and use it without side effects. In fact, there are six this year, but only two of them are world-renowned by their nicknames."

Raja: "So they're like prodigies in a godly sense, also who are the two that are known?"

Vine: "The two I've heard about are supposed to be possible of extinction. One is called the Messenger of Annihilation and the other is called Hell Dragger.

Raja:" Well it doesn't matter how powerful they might be. After all, I will beat any prodigy who stands the way of me showing my new family I was worth it."

Both of them laughed and continued to make small talk about each other. After walking for about twenty minutes they reached the dorm room and opened the door they noticed that there were white walls with a hallway to the left which had four doors, and there was a kitchen to the right large enough to fit at least twelve people. When they looked forward they saw a hallway with a single white door at the end of it. When they walked towards the white door they could hear sounds accompanied by the conversation of the other two roommates. They opened the door only to see a familiar face accompanied by a new face with a background of four beds. The familiar face was the boy in the black kimono with a katana, which was currently on the left middle bed to show that he claimed it, and the leftmost bed had someone on top of it. Raja quickly analyzed them before speaking to them. The boy with the black kimono was around 5ft 7in with pure white skin and regular arm length completed with a small hand that had long fingers, his face was small and sharp with a large mouth and a regular nose,his hair was long and black but it was also tied up into a high ponytail that fell to his back,he also had a sharp bang covering the right side of his forehead,finally the thing that set off Raja the most was his eyes because they were sharp and Asian but his retinas where light blue with a white outline before his pupils which were perfectly round and red. With a quick glance, Raja couldn't see the obviously Japanese boys symbol. The other boy was a tall 6ft 5in Chinese person, just like Sarah he was taller than both Raja and Vine, which made Vine feel down. He was beyond fit with tan skin and wore nothing but a toga that showed off his right side and sandals, which was outside in front of the door, he had golden hair in a shot fringe up hairstyle. His retinas were white with a black outline and black pupils held together by his close-set upturned eye shape, although both of the boys had thin eyebrows. His jaw was strong with a nose in the Greek shape. He had arms and legs that were long and muscular, similar to his torso, but his hand and feet were thick and small. The other boy's mark was a clear yellow lightning bolt on the back of his left hand. Had it not been for the fact that Raja and Vine were entering their dorm room and the black kimono boy had been cleaning the floor and organizing everybody's bed they would've thought they walked into a photoshoot for models.

Raja: "Hello...Uhm......I'm Raja"

Vine: "And....I'm...Vine"

Everyone was caught in an awkward stare of not knowing what to say. The shorter Japanese boys intense eyes kept setting off warnings in Raja's mind saying that he was a major threat. Raja and Vine had to do something to make sure nothing went horribly wrong.

Raja and Vine: "I'm hoping we can be good friends?"

The way Raja and Vine had said it was nervous and slow, but as soon as the word "friend" was said the Japanese boy's eyes softened into excitement and he let out a wide grin. The Grecian-Chinese boy also smiled wide and softened his eyes. Then excitedly the Japanese boy spoke.

Japanese model: "H-Hi my name is Kizutsu and I'm excited to finally meet the rest of my first friends"

The boy Kizutsu was very excited and nice to the point where the warning signs seemed off. Raja does not dislike him but is still wary of the previous signs, especially after what his sister did to the airplane without trying, so he was about to say hello when suddenly the other boy spoke up with joy.

Mixed model:" And I'm Chronus it's nice to meet you."

Vine: "Why are you guys so excited?"

Kizutsu: "Well you guys are literally the first people I've met that could be friends."

Chronus:" You guys are the first boys who have wanted to my friends"

Vine: "Boys? What about girls?"

Vine looked down in confusion then looked at Chronus's face and was no longer surprised.

Vine: "Lemme guess. All the girls that approached you wanted to be more than friends."

Chronus: "You got it. Not all of them were bad it's just that most wanted my looks."

Raja: "Makes sense."

Everyone else nodded in agreement. They began to discuss how they were going about this before they explored the rest of the room. Through an intense game of rock, paper, scissors Raja ended up getting the rightmost bed, and Vine got the bed in between Raja and Kizutsu. The new group saw that it time flew by and it was now 10:00 so they decide to explore the rest of the room. They went to the kitchen and found that there were cabinets running along the side of the kitchen. The cabinets on the right side had all the plates, bowls and cutlery. In the left cabinets were infinite amounts of all the dry ingredients organized by type. In the middle of the kitchen was an island that had a convection oven on it and a microwave. On the left side of the island was a full-size oven, but on the right side was a large refrigerator with a port for getting ice and clean water. When they opened the fridge they saw that it was empty and completely open to hold a large number of groceries, the freezer was also empty. Ready to go shopping Kizutsu and Raja began listing off groceries they would need. Once they finished listing off the groceries they heard a sound come from the fridge that surprised everyone. Upon opening the fridge they saw all the listed items in the fridge and the freezer was now there. Happy to know they have an easy stock fridge they decided to check the pantry. The pantry was empty as well so they imagined it worked like the fridge, and to their surprise, it did, after all, that they checked the table and saw it was large enough to hold twelve people. Next, they checked the hallway of four doors which at first confused them until they opened the first door and saw that it contained four desks for studying. The second door was a washroom with all kinds of face wash and soap for the four of them. The third door led to the bathroom which had showers, baskets, and a large hot spring-like bathtub. They walked up to the fourth door unsure of what was left, but after realizing how the rest of a normal house had been there already. When they opened the final door they found a large training room with enough space and tools for all of them to practice in there. The training room kept extending without end like an infinite white space that they could use. The ceiling was also an infinitely stretched whiteness that never ended, but on the back of the door there was a screen where you could control the training room to make it turn into different landscapes where things like water can actually be touched, but they disappear when you change the landscapes. Holes in the training room actually make you fall down till you either hit the ground or change the environment. After checking out the house they found slips of paper containing their schedules. All of them shared the same classes which help with staying friends. Finally, they all went to bed to get ready for the next day. As the lights faded and the room stayed dark Raja tucked himself into bed and thought everything that happened during the day. He stretched out his arm in front of him and slowly closed his hands into a fist. As he did that there was a tight squeezing sound that came out and then a soft ripping sound. Raja smiled and turned in his bed to fall asleep, but as all of them were asleep nobody noticed the space where Raja was squeezing had a faint crack in what looked like space itself, but it faded and space returned to normal as they slept. In the end, they slept soundly and peacefully.


	11. No strings attached

It was 6:30 am and Raja's alarm clock went off. As Raja opened his eyes and light began to flood his vision with the ceiling light, which he just noticed was a chandelier, that was turned on and shining right into his eyes. Raja turned off his alarm and noticed that his roommates all woke up with his alarm clock so that they could leave early for their class that started at 8:00 am. Raja and the gang all took turns using the washroom while they made their beds and packed their bags. After they were all finished they all got into the bathroom and freshened themselves up by taking cold showers at the same time since, and considering that they were friends the lack of curtains didn't bother them at all. As they showered Raja got a chance to see if Kizutsu's god mark was on his body, but what he saw instead was a body covered in scars that made his white skin look torn and tortured by some wild animal. The sight reminded Raja of his childhood before he was found by the orphanage workers, but Raja disliked those memories so he stopped looking at Kizutsu's body. After their showers were done the gang got dressed in their normal clothes, but Vine was wearing some different pants. He was wearing his army coat with a white t-shirt underneath, his cargo shorts were replaced with army pants that tucked into his timberlands. Raja thought the look suited him so he commented on Vines style.

Raja: "Nice outfit I always thought you would look nicer in some pants."

Vine:" Thanks, never thought an orphan who wore a tiger onesie all the time would comment on my clothing."

Raja: "Don't mention it pal, and to be fair I never expected to see a man with the ability to rip through ships with his bare hands worry about the clothing he wears."

After their little exchange, they met up with Kizutsu and Cronus to head out towards the girl's dorm where Sarah would be waiting for Raja. As they made their way over to the Girls dorm they started to take in more of the Boys Dorm. It was much larger than they originally expected when they first arrived there. On the ground floor of their dorm was many halls painted brown with gold designs that slowly, yet constantly, changed designed from things like flower prints to waves with marine life before shifting into mountains. The walls were tall and sturdy looking as they stretched towards stairs and rooms. Upon coming close to the entrance activity rooms for swimming, soccer, football, rugby, tennis, basketball, gyms, dance rooms, instrument rooms, studios, and a room for looked like a weird sport called "Trials and Tribulations" which looked complicated. As they left the dorm the scene of the school had changed. It was now an immense landscape filled with bright and dark gardens filled with outside class equipment and picnic tables made with light brown, almost orange, wood that smelled of wood chippings and sawdust. The smells of the picnic tables mixed with the flowers giving off a pleasing smell for the nose. With the bright sun clearly visible in the light blue sky the gang analyzed the school layout for buildings and towers to make navigation. The school had a wall encircling it made up of twelve watch towers connected to each other with their number, ranging from 1-12, made of bluish energy floating above their tips. All the dorms, restaurants, and towns were attached to the inside of the wall. With the buildings surrounding all the gardens and springs, the center of the area encircled by the watchtowers was a giant gray-colored castle that the students knew as Battle Academy. The school had four watchtowers in a square around the school, and the tips had a circle made of blue energy around them. Raja made a comment which was only loud enough for him to hear.

Raja: "I wonder what those numbers and this circle do?"

Finally, they made it to the Girls Dorm and standing outside was Sarah and the girl with Kizutsu. Raja took this chance to get a full look at her. She was 5'6, had pale white skin, with pure black hair. It was kept in a long hairstyle of bangs with front layers. Her small head was fitted with bright pink lips and a small, smooth, and slightly rounded nose. Her eyes were almond-shaped and had sun-colored pupils surrounded by a nearly clear iris. As far as the build of her physique went; her triceps and forearms were built quite well. But when it came to the rest of her body, she had muscular and thin abdomens and calves. Her nimble hands were small, flexible, and long. She was wearing a red kimono with a floral print of green, white, and blue, jasmines up to a teal-colored obi (kimono belt for excess cloth), which had the print of a Sakaki tree. She carried a sheathed katana in her obi, it was wider and thicker than the katana Kizutu had, at an angle making it perfect for her right hand to pop the hilt of the katana when necessary. The handle of her katana had a light orange braid and a pure silver butt cap. She looked as if she was smirking while talking to Sarah calmly about something. As Raja's gang approached the girl turned to face them and broke out into a wide smile and started running towards them. Raja assumed she was heading to speak with Kizutsu so he turned and see what they would say, however to Raja's surprise Kizutsu had a serious almost scary expression on his face when the girl began running towards him. His eyes began to sharpen and turn back into the combat-ready eyes that he saw at the initiation when he was waiting in line. As she was running towards the group she shot forward at extreme speed in Kizutsu's direction to try and hug him, but Kizutsu wasn't even fazed by her leap. With his serious eyes, he watched her leap and waited for her to get at least one foot away from him before he disappeared from sight and reappeared next to the girl. However, before she hit the ground the girl jutted out the butt of her katana so that it hit the ground and stopped her body and allowed for her to catch her footing and stand up properly as if nothing had happened. When she stood back up Kizutsu spoke in a harsh tone as he was scolding her.

Kizutsu:" It's rude to leap suddenly like that in public Sui."

The girl Raja assumed to be named Sui began to speak in a very excited tone of voice.

Sui:" Oh, I'm sorry I was just so happy to see that you were heading here and that you seemed to have made friends."

Her voice was sweet and kind but also refined to the point of superiority. However, this tone still didn't seem to please Kizutsu at all, considering his eyes were still sharp and focused.

Kizutsu:" Don't apologize to me. You should be saying sorry to them."

She immediately looked at the rest of the group and prostrated herself and said as seriously as she could.

Sui: "I'm extremely sorry for leaping so suddenly at you. I am Sui Kamigiri a student of Battle Academy like all of you, also I am the younger sister of Kizutsu Kamigiri."

Kizutsu looked less serious and began walking back towards the group with his sister behind him. As soon as Kizutsu got back to the group his eyes went back to the soft storm clouds they were when he was in the room. As Sarah caught up with the group she ran over to Raja's side to hug his arm. As much as Raja wanted to just ignore the situation he was too interested so he whispered into Sarah's ear.

Raja:" What was that about?"

Sarah: "From what I hear she was really close to her brother before they were chosen by their figures, and he was sent away for a very long time. She also mentioned that her emotions towards her brother aren't just familial, but are more on the emotional and physical level of a crush."

Raja:" You had to have added that last part in."

Sarah: "Actually I did, If it wasn't for that She and I might not have been friends in the first place."

This made Raja wonder about their family and what happened exactly before and after Kizutsu had to leave. They continued walking to class in a large group. Cronus and Vine talked about their lives growing up to both Kizutsu and Raja. As it turned out Cronus was chosen by Zeus and his other ego Pluto since he was a demigod child born from a Chinese lady and Zeus on account of his insatiable lust. As he was telling the story of his fairly normal childhood he mentioned that he learned tai chi as well as the basic form of Roman combat to make his fighting style a combination of flow and ferocity. This pumped-up Raja for combat with him later. Finally, they reached the class which looked like a large college class. All the students who made it where there too, but it was around 31 students in all. Raja and his group decided to sit in the front. Their seat order from left to right went: Cronus, Kizutsu, Sui, Sarah, Raja, and Vine. As the bell rang the teacher walked in for the students. The man was 5'6 lightly built and unnaturally fair-skinned. He wore a black and red plaid shirt and that didn't match with his denim short-legged Overalls. His eyes were brown and his hair was a simple brown wave covered at the top with his hat that had a single red feather. However, there was one thing he did that confused all the students, his walk was extremely loose for a human and way too robotic for a normal person. His arms swung and twisted unnaturally like a robot with a trillion pieces attached together. When he reached the desk he looked up at us and spoke in a soft melodious voice.

Teacher: "Hello students I am Bambino Fantoccio and I'll be your new teacher for all of your subjects."

All but one of the students responded with a simple "Hi". The student who hadn't responded was a fairly normal-sized man in an imperial Chinese foot soldiers clothes. He wore a bodysuit though so nobody knew what he looked like.

Bambino: "I'm sorry but if I may ask why didn't you respond."

Rebellious Student: " Because I don't respect ya."

Bambino: " That's a shame I can't teach you if I don't have your respect. May I ask why you don't respect me?"

Rebellious student: "It's because you look weak and haven't done anything to win my respect for you."

Bambino: " I see. You can't respect me because you don't have reason to."

Bambino then spoke to the class.

Bambino: "Does anyone else agree with him?"

A few other students raised their hands but didn't look like they were going to act on their unhappy first impression.

Bambino: "Understandable."

He turned to the rebellious student.

Bambino: "Mr. Ching what may do to earn your respect?"

Ching: " Beat me in combat at the level a teacher at this academy should."

All of the other kids seemed anxious and nervous. Raja and the gang were clueless as to why since they didn't get a strong expression from him. Bambino didn't look shocked as much as he did surprise.

Bambino: "Unfortunately there is no violence until P.E. so I must ask that you refrain until then."

Ching responded in a cold and hostile tone.

Ching: "NO."

Bambino stopped and looked at the student with a scary, wooden smile. He then responded in a voice that sounded like ripping metal.

Bambino: " Trying to test me huh."

The student then leaped and threw a small knife at the teacher's neck in hopes of hitting his vitals. As the knife rushed towards Bambino he opened his neck in four doors to reveal various intricate mechanical parts. Just as the knife was 5 inches away from his throat a small metal bearing was shot with such a high speed and power that it shattered the knife and flew directly into the chin of his skull. the force of the ball was so high that it not only knocked him out but it sent him flying into the back wall of the room. As everyone finished looking in awe at Bambino's strength his neck began to close up and reconnect. When his neck finally got back into place there was the sound of a mechanical clasp locking into place. Bambino then smiled normally and looked at the rest of the students.

Bambino:" Alright who's ready to learn?"


	12. The Basics

After the demonstration of punishment to kids who don't wish to participate everyone was ready to learn. Bambino was their teacher for all of their academic subjects as well as their physical subjects. He was a nice teacher who excelled at mathematics, art, and combat. Whenever he finished teaching the basic subjects of English and Maths we were dismissed for lunch. On the way to the Cafeteria, Raja and Vine looked through the menu for the cafeteria since it basically functioned like an extremely large restaurant. Raja ordered a large bowl of Tomato soup with Grilled cheese sandwiches, Vine got a plate of lamb kebabs, Sarah got a plate of Chicken Alfredo pasta, Sui and Kizutsu shared an extremely large bowl of chicken salad and rice, and finally Cronus ate a plate of rice coated with beans, vegetables, and yogurt. They all enjoyed their food and talked about classes as well as themselves. Raja looked around and often noticed that Sui would just stare at Kizutsu as he spoke and he would only watch her out of the corner of his eye. Still, his eyes and tone changed every time Sui was involved, but Raja decided to dig deep into their relationship. After lunch, they all gathered back in class and waited for Bambino to finish teaching science and history. History is the only subject that had differences from the normal subject. Bambino spoke about how God's and heroes began choosing people to represent them in hopes of finding more individuals for worship and possible succession to their name, but what interested him the most was that the single line The teacher mentioned.

Bambino: "Although we first have to earn the right to inherit our names it is possible to even surpass the ones who chose us."

Raja raised a hand and waited for Bambino to notice and respond.

Raja: " How many people have been able to surpass their chosen ones?"

Bambino: "Many have not been able to surpass their namesake, but that's what shows skill. For example, in order to be a teacher or any job higher here at Battle Academy you have to at least be a successor to your name."

Raja: "So you're a successor?"

Bambino: "Actually the other teachers here and the two in charge are all that you would call surpassed."

Raja: "How can you tell if someone is a surpassed?"

Bambino: "If their presence alone isn't enough to tell you whether they are, then you can tell by the fact that they mark that shows who chose them is extremely clear on their body."

Raja: "Wow, that'll be all sir thank you for answering my questions."

Raja was now very interested in trying to become surpassed. In fact, he was so interested that he now has a second goal. After History class Bambino stood in front of the class and proceeded to speak about their final period. He stood in front of his desk and smiled before telling us about our last period.

Bambino: "It's now time to start combat class."

This confused many students and made them wonder what he exactly meant. Kizutsu decided to speak up.

Kizutsu: "Do you mean physical exercise (P.E.) class?"

Bambino: "Close but there's a lot more involved to it than just training and exercise."

Bambino then led them through the hallways until they reached the doors where they took their entrance exam. The teacher then proceeded to kick open the door to reveal a skyward view of a large mountain range. As he stood there with one leg up he turned his head towards the class and smiled like he had whenever they were in class. Suddenly everyone realized he was gone and a large force from behind pushed them all through the door Before all of the students began falling they all looked at the doorway hey crossed and Bambino standing at the other end of the hallway in the sprinters standby position with his back open and his back open with a large canon protruding out of his back. After pushing out the students out of the Bambino quickly put away his canon and launched himself out of the hallway into the air with the students, closing the door on the way of course. As they were all falling now in different positions towards the mountain range Bambino stood in the air like a sports coach before deciding to explain the situation. However, all students except for Vine, Kizutsu, and Sui were screaming at the sight.

Bambino: Okay everybody first lesson of Combat class is the introduction to your "new" bodies and their basics."

Students: *While still listening*  
"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH"

Bambino: "Okay, now while your new bodies are definitely stronger than before many of you haven't trained as hard as you should have. This is why this kind of drop can kill you. I ask all of you kids to focus as much as you can and then imagine forcing as much energy as you can into a type of coat for your body."

As he said this all the students began to try their best to coat themselves, meanwhile, the three fearless children all turned so their position would make them fall faster. After changing their positions to something more fitting of a superhero landing they all tried to focus even harder. Raja stopped and calmed down by ignoring the altitude mixed with the strong winds, even though it stung his face as he flew by. After calming down he began to concentrate on something coating his body. Suddenly he couldn't feel the wind pressure anymore and he could only faintly feel the difference in altitude. He then realized that his body seemed to be coated with a fine layer of what looked to be a white coat of energy. He looked around and saw other students pulling off the same thing. All of the students were now falling into landing forms while being surrounded by white energy. The ground came closer towards Raja making him feel like he was just about to crash until he landed on the ground with so much force that he left a crater in his wake. As he was on the ground he felt no pain and had no injury. Then the other students all began crashing one by one into the mountain range. Most of the other students made smaller craters except for Sarah who had made a large empty pocket of land where she fell. Kizutsu and Sui hit the ground but didn't leave any damage to it to the shock of many students. Vine, however, cracked a quarter of a mountain off. After all the students fell they regrouped to watch how big of a crater their teacher would make. Bambino came at incredible speeds towards the earth like a missile with infinite fuel until he touched the ground and left no mark on either him or the ground. Not even phased by the landing Bambino turned and faced the students.

Bambino: "Now that we've all calmed down, how do you guys feel?"

The students all looked at themselves in either near disbelief or excitement.

Bambino: "I'll take that as a good sign for how we're doing. Now I'm sure many of you are wondering what that was just now around your body."

Raja looked over to see Kizutsu walk up to him smiling as he was ready to talk to Raja.

Kizutsu: "How are you feeling after that fall."

Raja: "I feel alright, but I'm more surprised at what's going on."

Kizutsu: "That's good to hear. I personally understand what's going on, but I'll leave it to the teacher to explain it."

Bambino then continued with his lesson on this newfound energy.

Bambino: "All people chosen by a famous figure has the ability to access an energy source known as Chi. This energy can be used to do the basics like protect you from damage and heal yourself from injuries. There is more to this, however, Each famous figure is known for different things, which is why each you may have a unique Chi element. Examples include the difference between Kizutsu and Cronus."

Kizutsu: "How do you know without being told that my chi is different from Cronus's?'

Bambino: "I've trained my eyes, plus I've read your transcripts which revealed to me that both of you have had a lot of formal training for chi usage since your early years. Do either of you have any problems with me revealing your chi elements?'

Neither of them showed any sign of being against it, but Kizutsu had a very obvious smirk on his face.

Bambino: "Thank you. Kizutsu has his unique Thunder chi which gives him the ability to control all forms of thunder and use them in any way he sees fit. Whereas Cronus has lightning chi allows him to control all forms of lightning including godly types since he is chosen by both Zeus and Jupiter. They have similar elements, but they can do different things based on the basic uses of Chi. Take notes on this one Kids. The basic types of chi are used to coat, emit, enhance, infuse, and buffing for the basics. For the advanced uses, you can use chi to trap, tie, attach, gas, liquify, solidify, and do the act of strained buffing."

Vine: "What's the difference between normal buffing and strained buffing?"

Bambino: "Normal buffing gives your body the actual energy of your chi making even closer or higher than a hero's. Strained Buffing lets you completely bypass all of your limits by near planets worth of range at the cost of extreme pain and training."

In Vines's response, he let out a little too much of his previous Army Hitman training.

Vine: "I see, Thank you, Sir!"

Bambino: "Finally our lesson shall end with the idea of abhorrent chi type users."

Raja: "Abhorrent?"

Bambino: "Correct, Abhorrent chi users can use their special chi to do unique things that fall outside of the normal uses since their chi is considered disgusting in power, character, or existence."

All the students now had a lot to take in for their notes. After everyone had fully understood the basics of chi the teacher called the class back to the mountain range's center.

Bambino: "Okay is everyone ready to continue for the last thirty minutes?"

Students: "WE'RE READY!"

Bambino: "Great, it's time for Chi sparring."

Students: "WE'RE NOT READY!"

Bambino: "Fine, to give you guys a good picture of good chi usage the first match shall be between Kizutsu and Cronus."

Kizutsu and Cronus looked at each other ready to fight. Bambino then yelled at the top of his lungs.

Bambino: "TEACHERS AUTHORITY: TRANSPORT ALL BUT KIZUTSU AND CRONUS TO THE COLOSSEUM SEATS!"

After saying the class command everyone was sent into a large stand of floating seats that looked down into the colosseum. The colosseum battlefield was a randomized self-regenerated planet devoted to training students for all the places they'll have to fight in. As all the students looked down into the battlefield all they saw was a mountain chain and Kizutsu facing Cronus as they waited for the signal to start the match. The mountain range was a straight line of 7 green mountains that increased in height until it hit the 4th mountain, which was the tallest one, and it began to descend in height again. Behind the mountain, the chain was an icy plain with at least six inches of snow. In front of the mountain was a luscious garden with a web-shaped set of rivers running through it. Both Kizutsu and Cronus got into position. Kizutsu stood straight with his legs in position to swivel or launch himself in any direction. He also his left palm rested on the hold of his blade and his right hand raised in an open palm towards his opponent, but now his eyes went back to killing mode. Cronus leaned back and stretched his left leg out at a downward angle while crouching on his right leg. His arms were outstretched in their general direction making a line, but his right palm was facing the ground and his left palm was facing the sky. Then the teacher began the match.

Bambino: "BEGIN!"

Then Cronus launched toward a more calm and cold Kizutsu.


	13. Super Shock

Cronus was now flying towards Kizutsu with what looked like thunder coming off of his body. As soon as Cronus was close to hitting him Kizutsu once again disappeared from sight before quickly re-appearing next to Cronus as he was flying. Kizutsu then quickly threw down a chop with enough force to stop his opponent's movement and snap his spine, but Cronus landed in a push-up position and his spine made a sound as if it had forced his spine back into place. Cronus proceeded to thrust his right-hand open-Palmed into Kizutsu's chest. Kizutsu saw this coming however and leaned backward making Cronus's palm stop at his clothes. Kizutsu then swiveled yet again to be in front of Cronus before leaping backward at high speed. Cronus rolled sideway's as Kizutsu had jumped backward and jumped to his feet to face in Kizutsu's direction. After their quick display, they stood watching each other intently. Many of the kids in the Colosseum seats were in shock at all the displays of power and regenerative ability.

Sarah: "How are they healing like that!"

Bambino: "When bodies get access to a stronger Chi flow they naturally have access to healing chi. With a normal amount, you can keep your body in fighting shape until you either run out of energy or die. However, people with unnatural connections to healing chi can also heal from fatal injuries faster than those with a normal connection, in the most extreme case recorded there was a king who could come back to life at peak condition without trying. The amount of chi he had could keep others fighting after extreme injuries as well as put objects back to their peak condition, but he went missing and hasn't been seen since."

Sarah in pure awe at the information just responded with a silent but honest.

Sarah: "Woah."

Back in the arena, the two were facing each other staring before Cronus broke out into a large smile.

Cronus: "Are you ready for us to get serious now or should I force you to draw that katana?"

Kizutsu: "I only draw my blade for those who require it to be taken down."

Cronus: "Sounds like you're underestimating me."

Kizutsu: "Don't get me wrong, I definitely see you as a strong fighter just not one that needs to be cut down."

Cronus: "Then I'll make you draw it."

Kizutsu: "And how are you going to do that?"

Cronus: *smiling* "Like this."

Suddenly Cronus snapped with his right hand causing golden lightning to launch from his fingers and crash into his opponent's clothes. It only hit where Cronus had touched him, but the force was strong enough to burn through his cloth and hit his chest. As it struck his chest there was a large red scar of burnt skin scarring his chest and he was launched back, however, as he was flying he flipped backward and landed on his feet before trying to regain balance. Cronus wasn't going to let him regain his balance so he launched himself forward with the golden lightning around his body like a protective coat and enough speed to seem like he was a bolt of lightning himself and before long he was under Kizutsu with his right leg outstretched forward and the other bent so that it would hold up his body while he planted his left palm into the ground he used his other hand to form a knife and performed a straight strike into Kizutsu's chest, which went deep enough to shatter his ribs, and then he released a large blast of his golden lightning through Kizutsu's chest burning through his left lung and out his back missing his heart by inch. Suddenly Kizutsu's hand shot down with enough speed that it was literal thunder that grabbed Cronus's neck and slammed him downward with a crack and clap that shattered the ground and sent blue lightning rippling through the water and searing the earth and grass beneath Cronus. As Kizutsu raised his head he was only slightly wincing from the pain coursing through his body as he had a hand through his chest and a hole burned through him, but the slam he had done had pulled Cronus's hand from his chest and had allowed him the time to turn into blue thunder once again and re-appear where he had started for the spar. This gave him the time to heal his wounds with his chi, but his healing was different since blue thunder arched from his body and began healing him wherever it struck his wounds. In less than two minutes Kizutsu was fully healed and Cronus stood up from the ground coughing up blood with his neck basically comprised of charred skin and ash. If not for his overly tough body layered with his chi and the heavy injury his opponent had he would have been dead from that single chokeslam. Cronus healed just about as fast as he could since it was obvious that Kizutsu had left him some time to fully heal. As Cronus had stood up he looked terrified for a second before showing off all his energy with all of his energy archings off of him like a crazy lightning storm was coming from his body. Cronus proceeded to fire several shots of lightning and changing his position to appear next to him in order to release a shotgun blast of golden lightning in order to force him to move to his right until he hit Cronus's starting position. Kizutsu turned his head and his eyes were more intense and deadly than they had ever been but his smile was large and simply swiveled around behind Cronus and had his legs apart and bent. His left hand was formed into a fist raised as high as possible with his thumb side facing in Cronus's direction. Kizutsu had his right hand in knife position as it was resting vertically on his thumb, but as his opponent turned his head Kizutsu released his knife strike downward as it was covered in his Blue thunder chi. As his palms slammed down onto the ground all that stopped the attack was the golden Chi covering his body, and that too it barely stopped it. Cronus let out a worried grin as his coating blew up upon breaking sending shocks from his skin into Kizutsu's arms making holes in his arms. After that attack damaged Kizutsu's arm Cronus tried to take the chance to get far into a better position, but Kizutsu followed him everywhere exchanging blows from place to place destroying the surrounding grass field and each other. In the Colosseum seats, everyone was in shock and awe at the battle going on in front of them since it seems like something out of a video game or a TV show. Raja was more intrigued at the spectacle unfolding in front of him rather than surprised. He decided to glance over to see how the rest of the group was taking it. Sarah was also pretty invested in the battle since she was staring intently at what was going on each moment Kizutsu became visible to everyone. Vine was interested, but he looked at Kizutsu like he was one of his targets. Sui was having the worst time out of everyone since she looked worried and scared for her brother's safety, but this was accentuated since her worry hung on her face. Every time Kizutsu got injured her face would wince and worsen with stress. Back in the arena Cronus was out of breath and trying to stay standing, but Kizutsu was standing in front of him ready for another attack to come his way. Finally, Kizutsu spoke with his happier tone.

Kizutsu: "I'm glad for the fight, but I thought you said you would make me draw my blade.

Cronus: "In all honesty, I'm just glad that I survived this long."

Kizutsu: "That's a bit of a shame, but I'll enjoy this as much as possible since we're friends now."

Cronus: "Well then friend, I'm going to give this my all."

Cronus proceeded to look at Kizutsu and build up as much energy as he possibly could before releasing all of his charges into a shock which he bounced back and forth between his fingers and his palms until it looked like a continuous stream of discolored lightning that bounced from one side to the other. Finally, Sui couldn't take it anymore. The amount of damage that an attack could produce would severely damage her precious brother. She stood up and spoke a command at the top of her lungs.

Sui: "KIZUTSU YOU WILL END THIS BATTLE AS FAST AS POSSIBLE."

Suddenly Kizutsu stopped smiling and his body, against its will, drew his blade. Which was slightly longer than average katana that a blue hilt and a handguard. He got into a right foot forward kendo stance and looked forward, but this time his face was intense and seething with rage. Cronus then shot his hands towards Kizutsu as he used the strongest move he could muster.

Cronus: "Final Style: Olympian Tai chi- Full-Flow Marcus Shot."

As he fired a blood-red projectile of lightning, Kizutsu did not move an inch. The projectile raced towards him at unbelievable speeds, but as soon it came within 3 feet of him he quickly dropped his blade and knocked the projectile into the ground. The attack caused the floor beneath him to explode into ashes that floated away from him in a blast. Afterward, Kizutsu disappeared for 5 seconds before re-appearing behind Cronus. Quickly he put his sword back into his scabbard making the quick clicking noise. As the clicking noise rang out in the battlefield Cronus's chest split open vertically and the blood splattered on the ground before his limp body hit the ground. The largest mountain in the range now had a large vertical gash, and the grass had all been cut down. Bambino jumped through the viewing hole and crashed next to Kizutsu before running towards Cronus's body and using as much healing chi as he could to heal him. After ten minutes Bambino looked up and smiled before he spoke.

Bambino: "Luckily he's going to make it through this perfectly fine."

Kizutsu looked slightly relieved but his face was still racked with fury. Most of the class looked terrified at how easily Kizutsu had made an example of his opponent. Raja looked over at Sui to see how she was taking the victory, but she looked terrified as she made nervous glances from the floor to her brother. As soon as Kizutsu and Cronus set foot back in the arena Sui ran over to them, but as soon as she came close to her brother he snapped mentally. He grabbed her long hair as hard as he could and pulled down until she was forced to her knees to save her hair from being ripped off, and once she fell to her knees he kicked back to force her to prostrate in front of Cronus. He spoke in a tone that came out as a savage storm.

Kizutsu: "I want you to beg for forgiveness."

He then leaned in so he could clearly speak into her ear.

Kizutsu: "NOW."

Sui: "I'm sorry for what happened. I shouldn't have spoken out loud and abused my authority for selfish reasons which put your life at stake. I hope that you can forgive me for my mistakes and I promise to never repeat them again."

Cronus was shocked at what was happening and tried to respond quickly so he could avoid any more conflict arising.

Cronus: "It's fine you don't need to worry at all I completely understand and forgive you."

Kizutsu then lets go of her hair and prostrated himself before Cronus.

Kizutsu: "I'm extremely sorry for the outcome of that battle and I hope you can forgive both of us for our terrible behavior just then."

Cronus: "Honestly it's fine, there's no need to worry."

Kizutsu: "I am thankful for your kindness."

After the match class was over and everyone began heading back to their dorms in silence. Raja and the boy gang got back into their dorm room they all sat in silence and cooked some spaghetti for dinner. Once dinner had been served Kizutsu and Cronus ravaged their plates of spaghetti. After Finishing they all sat down and didn't say a word. The silence began to drive Raja insane, but finally, Vine spoke up as he was eating.

Vine: "What was that display at the after of the match huh?"  
Kizutsu stopped cleaning for a second and then continued on.

Kizutsu: "It's a long story, Do you really want to know about?"

Raja: "I am also quite curious as to why your outburst had to be so violent."

Kizutsu: "Well... It's just that...I."

Vine: "Spit it out. It's not like I can judge you when I've done worse, Raja just recently got a family, and Cronus had to face the brunt of your rage."

Kizutsu took a deep breath and looked over at the table. This time his eyes were calm and peaceful.

Kizutsu: "Well it started when we were both children."


	14. The Sun in Storms

Kizutsu: " We came from a rich family of businessmen and samurai. As children, my sister and I got along very well. We used to sit in our parent's garden and play all kinds of games. When I hit the age of five my parents gave a katana and began to teach me the way of combat in hopes that I would be chosen by a god to attend Battle Academy. My teachers used to say that my fighting style was so refined and ferocious that I might as well have enrolled in a high school kendo club. When my sister hit five she was also taught how to use a blade. However, her blade was so loose and unorthodox that everyone around her said she was like a thrashing spirit. When my sister and I were at the age to be chosen by our gods our family began to set expectations for who we were going to be chosen by. People said I would get Amaterasu and my sister would get Susanoo. To our parent's surprise, we were chosen at the same time, but the only problem was that we were chosen by the wrong gods. I was chosen by Susanoo and my sister Amaterasu. My mark was my eyes becoming filled with the storms of the heavens and for my sister, it was Amaterasu's mirror, and when they kicked in my parents were very unhappy about the outcome. My parent's disappointment ended up making them choose favorites. My sister, for being chosen by the main deity, was chosen. However, this angered my sister since she believed that I deserved more. We worked together despite my family's unfair bias."

Kizutsu's eyes began to tremble with rage and he spoke suddenly.

Kizutsu: "And that's all you need to know about."

Suddenly Vine threw his fist down with enough power to smash through the table and hit the ground causing it to shake violently. Raja and Cronus were surprised by the sudden show of power that vine had made, but they hadn't expected the rest of the dorm to start whispering about how the entire dorm area had begun to shake. Kizutsu and Vine looked at each other in the face ready to fight. Then Vine spoke in a violent tone.

Vine: "If you won't speak to us then we can't understand what your thought process."

Vine moved his hands back to his lap and looked up with a smile.

Vine: "So please. Help us understand this."

Kizutsu looked around at everyone and was deciding whether he should speak or not. Finally, he decided to speak after calming down enough for his eyes to look nice again. He spoke in an almost somber tone.

Kizutsu: "After being chosen my sister gained a new power."  
His eyes began to flare a little but he kept it in check as he worked out in himself.  
Kizutsu: "She gained the ability to command all Japanese related figures who have a status lower than her."

Raja: "So in basic terms, she has complete control over Japanese figures that are below Amaterasu or is it just below her in the ranking?"

Kizutsu: "Under Amaterasu."

Raja: "I think I know where this is headed."

Kizutsu: "Unfortunately you're probably right." *sigh* "When she had shown signs of this power our parents began acting differently. They began to increase our training time so that my sister could learn all the limits of her almighty commands. They would make command me to grovel, to go days without eating, sometimes they made her command my own self-harm."

Raja: "Is that why you have all those scars on your body?"

Kizutsu: " Excluding the ones on vitals, they're all self-inflicted against my own will."

Raja and Cronus weren't exactly sure how to handle this information considering the different struggles they've been through. Vine stood up and removed his jacket and his t-shirt to reveal a large X shaped scar on the left side of his torso.

Vine: "This a scar I gained when I was being trained in self-bomb removal. It serves as a constant reminder that I once had to cut myself open and pull out a fairly large bomb package from my stomach. I can't fully relate to the emotional trauma you've been through, but I can tell you that I understand the pain and the thoughts of why those who raise you would do such a terrifying thing."

Kizutsu: "Did you do anything to get back at them afterward?"

Vine: "Not really, In my case they were preparing me for a situation I could have been in, but that didn't stop me from getting revenge on them by raiding the pantry and going on a quick panty raid through the female barracks."

Everyone let out a nervous chuckle. They all felt bad, but they also knew that everyone in the room had suffered in their own unique way.

Kizutsu: "I'm... Actually pretty glad that I was able to tell you guys about this. Weird considering we only just became friends and all, but it still felt good to tell you guys about the thing that's been bugging me for years."

Kizutsu smiled and stood up to go put on the rest of his samurai styled kimono and shoes.

Raja: "Where are you going?"

Kizutsu: "I'm just going on a walk to the flower gardens in order to clear my mind from some stuff."

Raja: *He smiled* "Okay, Well I hope you enjoy your walk."

Kizutsu: *He smiles back* " Thank you, I'll be back by midnight."

As he left everyone waited till the door shut to let go of their smiles. After half an hour of silence, they knew he was too far away to hear them.

Raja: " That was probably one of the fakest smiles I've seen from someone."

Vine: "I'm very sure that he didn't tell us the full story, but we can't pry it out of him just yet without breaking the friendship we've just established."

Raja: " How long before he tells us though?"

Cronus: " Only time will tell in this case."

They all seemed frustrated and angry but couldn't do anything about it until he opens up to them completely and gives them the room to fully understand his strife and pain.

Meanwhile, Kizutsu walked around in the dark and contemplated on experiences from his past... and he hurt... he hurt badly. As he walked he felt worse, but emotionally he was even more damaged. He hated his recent temper and does miss the times when he could tolerate his family, especially his sister. He laid himself down in a small patch of grass secluded from the populated area of the school. He checked his phone and saw that it was 10:00 and he decided to lay there at peace until 11:45 so he could look like he was telling his new friends the truth.

The next morning everyone was getting ready for their classes again Raja tried looking at Kizutsu's scars again only to notice that he now saw them in a different light than he had before, they were marks of suffering and memories long held over. He looked away not because he was afraid of Kizutsu noticing, but instead that he no longer wanted to look at it. They were heading towards the girl's dorms and both of the girls were outside waiting for them to come by and join them. Upon reaching Sui walked forward and apologized again to everyone before looking at her brother in the eyes before looking down.

Sui: "I...I-I-I just want to say."

Kizutsu: " You don't need to say it to me since I wasn't the one you hurt."

Sui: " If possible I wanted to ask if we could speak privately after sch-."

Kizutsu: " Don't get me wrong just because I said you didn't need to apologize doesn't mean I'm going to speak to you very much or interact with you."

Sui looked heartbroken and simply nodded before walking back behind Sarah and speaking to her with a fake smile that was on the verge of breaking out into a scream of sadness. After entering the classroom they went about their day until their second to last period of history again. Bambino had finished a bit early and started to give an announcement to the class.

Bambino: " Okay guys! Since we finished earlier than expected let me tell you guys what we're doing tomorrow. We're going to be finding out your Chi's element and its typing."

Seems like tomorrow may be more fun than the past two have been.


	15. Chi Discovery

The next day Bambino came into the class with a crystal ball that was supposed to tell the type and element of our Chi so that we could have more consistent and profitable training in the school that helps us personally. He made us form a line based on who got there in at what time. out of everyone that went into the line only Raja, Sarah, and Vine had gone up to check what their Chi is. Sarah and Raja looked at Vine confused for a second before they spoke loud enough for him to hear.

Raja: "We thought that you were well versed in this kind of stuff? Actually, Why are you up here Sarah you were also flying around destroying ships?"

Sarah: "Well in my situation I only got through the basics before I had to be pulled out of the class for family reasons."

Vine: "I was born with this flask bracelet which confused the generals enough that they just decided to let me train my magical side how I wanted to train it. This, as you can now see, has left me very in the dark."

Raja: "What about you Sarah?"

Sarah: "They tend to save this stuff for Highschool so my parents decided to let me wait until the school made it a necessity."

Raja: "Wow, I really thought you guys would be more prepared for this kind of stuff."

Sarah & Vine: "Probably."

Raja facepalmed and sighed before he decided to take it in stride and see what he got. Bambino decided to explain how it works.

Bambino: "Okay Students! Whenever you get your turn simply put your hand on top of the ball here and it will give two indications to show how your chi works. The first indication will be color and that will show which of the six basic elements of your chi is. The basic elements group consists of Force, Fire, Earth, Wind, Fire, and Lightning. The second indication is the physical effect it has on your hand or the objects surrounding it. However, if your chi is considered to not be under one of the six basic elements it will give you a mix of colors or a visual indication of its element. If your Chi does something different than any of the basic typing it is called Abhorrent since your body is technically disgusted by the normal uses of chi. Finally, it is possible to have access to more than one chi typing and element. Any questions?"

All of the students shook their heads to tell him that they understood. He nodded to himself and began to take Students one at a time so he could show them their Chi's. Everyone was nervous to see what they would get and how strong it would be. One kid walked up and placed his hand on the orb only for it to turn the color brown and start shifting the dirt in a nearby plant towards him until it formed a very long and malleable rope of pure dirt wrapped from his wrist to the plant.

Bambino: " Your element is dirt and you have the typing known as "Tied" which lets you reinforce your element to tie things together."

Another student laid his hands on top of the ball to have it show glowing pond which made everyone feel less tired and more focused the longer she kept his hand on top of it, this however made the student really tired.

Bambino: " Your element seems to be a variation of the water element. Let's call it Spring for now. Your typings are quite the unique ones known as "Healing" and the Slightly less unique "Buffing."

More kids went to figure out what they would get. Finally, Vine went up to the Chi Orb and placed his hand on top and waited for the color. Suddenly the Orb showed a liquid-like substance swiveling around inside as it changed colors and food served in gold plates landed peacefully on a long table. Suddenly all of Vines's muscles started becoming more toned and energy poured out of his body. His golden flask lit up and all the markings revealed an image of angels tipping a grail from the clouds of heaven. His flask chipped a layer and went from silver to gold, but suddenly Bambino knocked Vine's hand off the Orb.

Vine: "Woah what does that fall under?"

Bambino: "you're a very special vine. You've been chosen by Bacchus so you have the chi element of Force and party. You can use two typings of chi. The common "Buff" and the very rare "Strained Buffing" that only the top-ranked Chosen use alongside gods and demigods."

Vine: "Sick."

Bambino: "However, do not by any circumstances use strained buffing until you have mastered it."

Vine: "Why not though?"

Bambino: "I say that because buffing only Powers the body using the chi whereas the strained version forces the chi to enter and fuse with the body which causes recoil from the buff and it hurts the body in major ways. But there's more to you."

Vine: "What do you mean there's more to me?"

Bambino: "I mean that Bacchus rarely chooses anyone, but you have that flask attached to your wrist which means that he has chosen you to be a general."

Vine: "You mean that I'm more blessed by my figure than most others are?"

Bambino: "Yes, though I must say you are behind all the other generals since they have had the training necessary in both chi, their gifts, and martial combat since the age of five and sometimes even younger."

Vine: " I've heard how scary are they are, but how terrifying are they."

Bambino: "Schools tend to be really secretive about their generals until the worldwide school tournament. However, I've overheard recently that one general has literally slaughtered a new country the size of Russia with the warrior population of 60,000 in a week of non-stop combat."

Vine, In a silent yet shocked tone: "My God."

Bambino: "That's how he got the nickname Country Slayer."

Students looked back and forth in shock, but one thing caught everyone off guard... It was the worldwide school tournament. The fact of the matter that all schools worldwide that were like Battle Academy going against each other scared them. The fear washed over them like the warm water from a shower. Then everyone, excluding Raja, Vine, and Kizutsu, felt fear at the thought of more generals in the same area fighting each other. The odd three grinned ear to ear with looks that were bursting with excitement and energy. Next came Sarah's turn, as she placed her hand on the Orb, it turned a murky black which slightly surprised Bambino. After the color was revealed her body started to overflow with her murky chi like a fountain.

Bambino: "Hmm that's interesting, would you mind standing there for a second?"

Sarah: " Umm, Sure."

Bambino's chest popped open and fired off a metal bearing at Lethal speeds. Before she could react her body had let out a small emission of chi that turned the ball into a finely grained cloud of rust powder.

Bambino: " Judging on the info about you being chosen by Izanami you must have the chi element of decay and the ability to coat things in it or emit it."

Sarah: " My Chi's element is Decay and my typing's are "Coating" and "Emission" hmm. That's good to know."

Bambino: " Good to know a student's been learning, but I would take your hand off the Chi Orb now."

Sarah * as she lifts her hand*: " Oh yea."

Suddenly she felt extremely tired and out of breath until she fell back hard enough that Raja had to catch her. She looked like she could collapse at any moment with how tired she was, but she stood up after a quick two-minute break.

Sarah: "Why was I so tired after that?"

Bambino: " That's because the Chi Orb doesn't directly show or replicate the type of chi you have. What it does is force the chi to flow out of your body and into both the Orb and Its surroundings so it becomes easy to prove what the specifications of your chi are."

Sarah: " I see."

Bambino: " You should go relax after this so that you can feel better. Next in line please."

Raja went up next, he was excited and nervous at the same time for what would happen. As he placed his hand on the Orb, it turned a bright white with a gold outline. Bambino looked slightly confused until a vertical red eye made of Chi appeared within the Orb and his face quickly washed over with worry and surprise. Raja's body began to ache and heat up till his forehead felt like it was being ripped apart and re-arranged. 

Bambino *Shouting to the class*: "Everyone back away quickly and hide behind any solid object you can find!"

All the students in the line ran and jumped over the desk before hiding under the long rows, meanwhile, all the students already in their seats joined the runners under their seats for protection by the desk. Bambino proceeded to move his arms back and literally shot his mechanical arms till they locked into the ground around Raja and stretched up into a wall that closed above traping him in a space lit only by the light of the orb. Raja's body exploded his Chi all over the place till it bounced off Bambino's walls filling the space and blinding him. Outside of the wall Bambino's arm sockets popped out new and bare robotic skeleton arms that inverted to bring out the prosthetic skin that made his arms look human again. Everyone outside saw Light shoot out of the small cracks from the bottom of the capsule before it died down and nothing could be heard or seen. Everyone stood up from behind the desks to see what would happen but Bambino just stood there waiting. This got everyone worried, Especially the main group, after fifteen minutes they couldn't take it. Vine spoke up in a deep and serious tone they had never heard before.

Vine *obviously agitated*: " Where is Raja?"

Bambino: " While Checking his chi his orb reminded me that he was chosen by Shiva who always tests his chosen people to see if they are still worthy to even carry his blessings."

Sarah: " And how many of them actually passed his test."

Bambino: " Well only three of them have, but that's not saying much since he's only ever chosen three people before."

Kizutsu: " Must not be too hard or impressive if everyone he's chosen has passed."

Bambino: " Here's the thing about that. Even though all of his chosen have passed his test and none have surpassed or even taken his spot all of his three soldiers are able to wipe out races on their own."

Kizutsu: " Oh god, I hope he is okay."

Bambino: " Oh don't worry I hear Shiva is the easiest to please because of his immeasurable love for all of creation good or bad."


	16. The Test

Raja felt the pain stop and clear away. after it had completely gone he opened his eyes only to find himself in a large space that had nothing in it other than a large and vast sky and infinite stretches of clear and reflective water that came up to his ankles at most. The sky was beautifully open and it showed the dual natures of the day and night. The left side of the sky was dark and covered in stars that shined brightly without flickering. On the right was a sky bright blue with clouds that would provide moving shade before the Bright and strong sun. Confused and trying to understanding his situation, Raja, looked around to try and figure out where the heck he was. He began walking around in hopes of figuring out the situation he had winded up in. The place was empty and loud with the noises of insects and birds that couldn't be seen anywhere he looked. He walked on and on for a mile... two miles...three miles... and he still kept on. Eventually, he couldn't walk anymore without falling over and passing out, so he sat down and observed his surroundings only to find that he had ended up in an area that was exactly like the one he had started in. 

Raja: "Maybe the answer to this area isn't on the ground, but rather it's in the sky."

Mysterious voice: "Sixteen miles and that's the best you can come up with?"

Raja shot up and looked around to see who had spoken to him. His head darted back and forth to try and catch this speaker whose voice boomed over all yet also provided a sense of security.

Mysterious Voice: "Don't fret I may be loud, but I am in fact invisible to you at the moment."

Raja: "Who are you?"

Voice: "Take a guess."

Raja thought back to before he had been sent here. All he could remember was the Chi Orb and his turn causing a flash of light. Maybe, this had to do with his chi since the test was what sent him here in the first place. It couldn't be his Chi since he hadn't heard of chi being able to do the independent action of speaking to someone without the user triggering it. This left only one option.

Raja*in an unsure voice*: "Are you, Shiva?"

Voice: "Do you think I am?"

Raja*in a firmer voice*: "I truly believe you are."

After a few seconds of silence, The voice decided to respond.

Shiva: "It's good that you're sure about the answer because you are right."

Raja: "Where am I? Why am I here?"

Shiva: "You are here because I'm going to test you before I decide if you are worthy to carry my namesake on the line."

Raja was concerned for a moment since he didn't know what to expect from the Indian god of destruction in terms of a test of the namesake. He needed to know more about this test while he had the chance to ask.

Raja: "And what exactly is your idea of a test?"

Shiva: "Well that depends on who I chose for the current child. Yours, however, is going to be one of the most challenging."

This made Raja feel terrified.

Raja: "So what must I do to gain your approval Oh great Shiva?"

Shiva: "First you must tell me your Motto."

Raja: "My...Motto?"

Shiva: "Think about it. A chosen child's motto is a sentence that holds the words that they hold the dearest. With enough emotion behind the motto you can even gain new powers with it."

Raja: "But I don't have a motto yet."

Shiva: "Oh don't give me that."

Raja looked confused and tried to think if he had ever held any kind of line close to his heart.

Shiva: "Think about your past, my child. Think about the days you spent in the orphanage.'

Memories came back to him in a flood of flashbacks of times he could barely remember. Memories of him as a small child running around hunting like a maniac with his bare hands. Raja often did this because of the other kids and caretakers not paying much attention to him since the caretakers were often too busy trying to discipline the other kids to notice that he had left in the first place. He would run around making bird calls in the trees and scouting for any strong animal that he could fight to get food and practice in with for fun. It felt glorious and stimulating whenever the water or grass would touch his bare skin under adrenalizing situations. His skin would tingle before taking a large force that would move him either off balance or off the ground. As all of these memories came back to him he felt like he was getting stronger, but as these memories came back he remembered why these had been locked away and forgotten. As he continued his rampages he would keep losing his mental stability and become a beast himself that would yell hazy lines before he went in for a fight. Then it hit him. He had been yelling his motto this entire time. As he lost control he would scream a line that looked familiar upon looking at his own lips, but also so mysterious since he could only hear the shrieks of combat between him and his opponents. He focused and focused until his head hurt from trying to remember what it was he said. Before he could remember the words he would scream and label as his motto Shiva interjected with more info that, unfortunately, was bad for him.

Shiva: "Since you can't seem to remember I shall begin the final part of your test."

Raja: "Oh no."

Shiva: "You will be forced to fight a beast of my choosing."

Raja: "Oh no-no-no."

Suddenly the water near him began to pulse and vibrate until a large Tiger had appeared. It was as big as a bear and it even had a glow of Chi around its massive paws, which were also the size of human heads.

Raja: "You couldn't have made me fight a normal tiger?"

Shiva: "Told you it would be harder. However, this fight should be easier if you just remember your motto."

Suddenly the tiger leaped faster than any normal tiger could have. Raja thought about how he used to fight when he hunted. he had the Chi flow his body until he had been both infused and coated in it. As the tiger claws came for him he shot his left leg back and brought his right elbow up till it crashed into the tiger's chest. The Chi had boosted the attack so much that the tiger flew backward and skidded for around fifty meters. His blood began to rush and his body began to feel like he had just been under some sort of adrenaline rush again. It was extremely invigorating, and to him, he felt like had as a child. Blood was rushing through his system. Chi was coursing through him in an unstoppable stream. The tiger got back up while it skidded and lunged around him in a random series of motions to try and throw him off balance or get into his blind spot. The beast came at him again with twice the speed from behind. This time he simply spun about his left leg and crashing his knee into the tiger's face. There was a crack, and Raja thought it was over, but he thought wrong. The tiger raised swiped upwards with his paw giving Raja five vertical slashes on his chest that went deep enough that his ribs were almost visible. He leaped back only to wince in pain at the massive sting of his open chest nearly splitting more than the tiger had already cut it. He had landed on his back in pain and the tiger proceeded to pin him down with one of its paws. The slam of the tiger's foot knocked out his breath and crudely broke his ribs. Raja screamed louder than he probably ever had in his life. The pain was unbearable to him... Yet, the pain felt familiar. he could feel his heart pounding and his lungs nearly giving way with each breath, but this edge to death didn't only make him feel fear. The pain triggered his memory to show him sitting in a familiar situation that took place in his hunting days. He had been pinned down by a pack of tigers, normal ones this time, and couldn't fight back because of the broken legs a bear had given him. Any other kid would've cried for their parents or accepted their mistake with a struggle, but Raja simply smiled at the tigers and uttered a phrase before standing and fighting with nothing to fuel him but sheer willpower and excitement. The importance of this memory came to him when he finally realized what his motto was and has been. So he screamed it at the top of his lungs.

Raja: " ENJOY THE HUNT!"

All of a sudden Shiva could be heard chuckling behind him as he was pinned screaming a phrase in hopes it would save him. But, all of a sudden Raja could feel a rush of willpower and strength coming to his aid. Raja proceeded to plant his feet into the ground and he grabbed the elbow above him. Putting all his force Raja proceeded to throw the tiger behind him without letting go. The tiger fell on its back and the impact caused the water to splash everywhere at once. Raja left no time for the tiger to get gather its thoughts. He pushed himself off with his feet and came crashing down onto the tiger with enough speed to pin it this time. 

Raja *in his head*: "No breaks."

Raja broke the tiger's elbow in his hand and brought the same arm's elbow down with enough to shatter the tiger's shoulder blade through its armpit. The tiger let out a similar cry to him, and Raja punched the tiger's head with his left hand, powered with his Chi, and the cracks of bones couldn't compare to the sound this punch had made. The tiger still struggled to break free, so Raja decided to end it once and for all. He raised his right arm from the tiger's armpit and brought his elbow down while powering it more than he had powered anything in his life yet. The sound was that of a Car crash amplified by ten. Finally, the tiger went limp and began to disappear into a mist of white, gold, and red dust. Suddenly his forehead began to burn and his energy started to flow a lot slower than before.

Shiva: "Congratulations, you are the first child I've ever chosen to have beaten a tiger fueled by our destruction Chi."

Raja: "Destruction Chi?"

Shiva: "Whoops, forgot to mention that your Chi is the pure energy of destruction. Use it well, after all, you are the only one I've seen that can handle that much of it coursing through them."

Raja *while breathing heavily and trying not to pass out*: "What?"

Shiva: "In fact, you are the only one to hold that much without training for their whole stretched out lifetime..."

Suddenly Shiva's godlike voice calmed down into an all fatherly tone of voice. His voice sounded like a soothing river was washing words into his head.

Shiva: " I am so proud of you my child. I know that you will accomplish what others could only hope and dream of doing."

Finally, the words had hit him in the head. after processing what he had said, through his exhausted condition, he smiled and decided to end off on a positive note.

Raja: " I couldn't have expected to hear gratitude from a god of destruction, buuuuut I'll take it."

Raja's leg gave way and he began to fall into the watery ground. As he was falling he saw his forehead mark and that it had changed from a black verticle slit to an open and red verticle third eye. this time as he hit the water he sank even further than the ground was before. He sank into a watery void and fell asleep smiling knowing he felt useful.


	17. The Days to Come

When Raja opened his eyes he was in Bambino's airtight arm room. He proceeded to look for a way out of it. He focused Chi into his right fist and struck the arms, but instead of simply punching the thing down he had blasted a giant hole into the barrier that reached out into the open and left what looked like a crater around him. Upon walking outside of the walls he was greeted by everyone in the classroom. All of them looked like they had when he had left, this was weird since the school had no dress code during combat class. They had all been asleep, but it was obvious that his punch had woken them up with its explosive sound. They all saw him and started to look around surprised.

Raja *In a timid voice*: " Hey guys... had a good nap?"

Bambino was standing away from Raja's cage and he was looking at the watch on his wrist.

Raja: "Sorry guys I was forced to take a test to prove my worth to my god."

Bambino: "I know, I told them about it."

Bambino looked serious and slightly on edge. This made Raja really uncomfortable since he was the target of Bambino's unnatural and hostile gaze. Raja took a step back only for Bambino to lean forward menacingly. Sarah, while siling, began to run towards Raja. She was accompanied by Vine, who was following behind her in a casual jog complemented by a wide grin, who had obviously just woken up from the rest of some sort. Raja was glad to see some happy faces looking at, but he was still bothered by Bambino's stare.

Raja: "Hey guys! how long was I gone for?"

Sarah: "You've been gone for three days."

Raja: "THREE DAYS!"

Vine: " Yea we all took turns watching over the case."

Raja: "But, I've missed so much studying that I'm going to be piled up with work for the next few days."

Vines: "It's no problem. Apparently, a lot of kids have similar situations in this school and in other schools around the world. To make it fair we don't do anything but practice how to use our Chi."

Raja: "Well I guess that's good then."

Sarah: " I even learned how too....."

Sarah went silent all of a sudden and her eyes began to trail up to his forehead before getting locked on. Vine and the rest of the gang proceeded to look at Raja's forehead and rub their eyes for long periods of time.

Kizutsu: "Did your god mark change after being stuck in there?"

Raja: "Oh, Yea it changed after I finished with my god's, Shiva's, test."

Kizutsu: "Test? What did you have to do?"

Raja: " All I really did was remember some old memories and kill a tiger that was fueled by my own chi is all."

Bambino began to walk over to Raja in the same cautious matter he had when Raja had come out of the chamber. As he walked over all of the gang could see that their teacher was not happy, but he was serious and prepared for something.

Bambino: "I'm sorry Raja but I'm going to have to take you to the principal's office."

Sarah: "But he just came out. Why does he have to go to the principal's office when he should be getting ready to rest?"

Bambino then opened his mouth to speak in such an aggressive tone that all of his students could tell that they had gotten on the wrong teacher's bad side. Finally, Bambino let out a deep growl of words.

Bambino*In a growl*: "This is not up for discussion. Come. Now."

Raja: "It's fine, Sarah, I'm sure he just needs to talk to me about something important."

Sarah seemed to calm down a bit, but it didn't change the awkward feeling in the air now. Raja decided to follow Bambino out of the room and into the hallway where bambino stood right beside him as they began to walk to the principle's office. The halls were empty and silent since it was a Sunday morning and none of the freshman, but his class, had people emerge this late from any of their "Trials." It had become awkward between them as they walked through the halls before reaching the stairs that lead up in floors. As they walked up Raja decided to try to figure out his situation.

Raja: "So, Why am I being taken to the Principle's office, Sir?"

Bambino: "I would tell you, but only Mr. Centurious's office can be magically sealed in time to avoid any spies or prying eyes."

Raja: "It can be WHAT?"

Bambino: " I'm surprised that his name didn't give it away to you."

Raja: "His name?"

Bambino: *sigh* "Centurious as in a century since he was chosen from birth by Time itself."

Raja: "BY TIME! Just how powerful is Mr.Century?"

Bambino: "I don't know since I've never seen him fight, but I heard he is a Surpassed so I'd assume he's very strong."

Raja stopped in his tracks. He was surprised that his principle was not only a general but that he also managed to surpass and take the place of the force known as time. He then wondered how powerful all Surpassed people. Generals already made Raja feel fear and adrenaline... How would combat with a surpassed feel? his hunting side began to kick in and made him imagine the almost Euphoric feeling of being in a battle with someone who has attained mastery over time. Suddenly Bambino stopped as Raja slammed face-first into the giant gold door at the top of the central school tower. It was approximately 9 feet and made of some hard and gold-colored metal. Suddenly it opened inward to reveal only Vice Principle Maple Höst Träd and the previous discussions person of interest, Centurious. Centurious looks up at us with his clockwork eyes and smiles at us. His silver hair that shone in the light seemed a lot more suspicious now that Raja knew more about his strength. He begins to speak to us in a friendly manner.

Centurious: "Hey! What are you two punks doing in my office?"

Bambino shoots his eyes towards Raja's third eye tattoo and back to Centurious's eyes to signal where he wanted him to look. Centurious looks over to his tattoo and he gives an awkward look of unsure happiness, but his fairly young face didn't really change much when he gave this expression. Maple looks over at his tattoo and her eyes begin to harden with focus. She now looked at him with her body tensed just like Bambino. Centurious was the only one who didn't have any giveaways as to wheater he wanted to attack or not. This was bothering Raja but he figured that the tattoo was the reason why he was called to talk to them.

Raja: "So, what's the deal with my Tattoo causing this all these weird looks and possible assault cases?"

Centurious: "Well you see we have to inform you about something relating to your tattoo, but first I'll need to take some precautions before I begin to come after you like this."

Centurious closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Suddenly it began to feel as if all of life itself began slowing to an eventual stop. Raja's heart began to beat even slower and an ache shot from his chest that felt like someone was pulling his heart in a rotating motion. His breathing got heavier and more difficult. When he finally adjusted he looked out the giant wall made of glass behind his principal only to be treated to a view of everything stuck in time.

Centurious: "Everyone, except us four, is currently frozen in time. This is to ensure that what we say doesn't reach your friends outside the door."

Raja turned around only to see Centurious there with the door open revealing his entire group and some other curious individuals. Raja wasn't sure how to take this. The other two teachers seemed like they had grown accustomed to Centurious's behavior, but he could also tell that the time stop had left them in need of a deep breath.

Raja: "Whoa."

Centurious: "You see I wish I could explain your situation a bit more, but I'm going to have to ask you what exactly you saw during your test and what you were told in there."

Raja: "Why?"

Maple *Angrily*: "Just answer the question before the situation gets worse."

Raja was surprised by her sudden hostility towards him as well, but before he could react there was an ear-shattering slam against a desk and Centurious looked furious as his gaze pierced through everyone in the room. Centurious began speaking in a tone that showed his irritation with the situation.

Centurious: "Maple you WILL calm down now. Raja, I want you to look at me and tell me everything that happened in that separate plane you were in."

Raja didn't want to displease anyone in here any more than they already were so he decided to explain everything that happened during his test. He went into detail about his experience of regaining his memories and learning more about his motto. After he had finished telling his story he expected a more lax atmosphere to form, but he was very wrong in that thought. All of his teachers began to look at each other uneasily before taking deep breaths and coming down to a more composed state. It was silent till Centurious decided to speak on the situation.

Centurious: "Well, I'm going to be very upfront with you here. Got that?"

Raja: "Yes sir."

Centurious: "We originally planned on putting you down here and now before you could grow up."

Raja was shocked at the revelation. He wondered how he didn't realize he was in the perfect position to be executed by everyone in the room. His throat began clenching and his anxiety growing until he felt more on edge than he ever had to date.

Raja: "B-But why?"

Centurious: "Every person previously chosen by Shiva had to be executed because all of them turned traitor and went on rampages trying to challenge Shiva himself. There's also the fact that I've had a tough time putting them down after they've been trained in combat. All of this wouldn't have set us off the edge though if it wasn't for the fact that your god mark turned out the way it did."

Raja: "What's so wrong with my tattoo that you'd have to worry."

Centurious: "Well all the other people chosen by Shiva had the same god mark, but the one hardest to put down had his third eye opened only slightly more than a squint like the others had. You, however, have your third eye opened much more than any of them did. I mean, just look at it. It's completely open and making the perfect shape that's complemented with designs stretching out."

Raja: " I see."

Raja said that as he felt his forehead which was causing so much trouble at the moment. He was scared... But he wasn't going to let his god mark ruin his new happiness. He stomped his foot down as hard as he could and spoke with conviction.

Raja: "I swear on my god that I will never turn on anyone in here and I will strive to be the best person I can be."

Maple & Bambino: "And how can we trust you on this proposal?"

Raja: "Because I will end my own life if I ever turn on any one of you."

All of a sudden Raja's god mark began to feel like it was pulsating. as he looked in the glass behind Centurious he noticed that his mark was now bright red and clearly visible on his forehead. Raja was scared of how this would make everyone feel until there was a burst of laughter from everyone else in the room.

Raja: "Huh?"

Centurious: " Nothing much. We're just laughing because your god seemed like coloring your god mark was the best way of symbolizing your conviction."

Suddenly everyone looked up and calmed down before giving him sweet smiles that were made from the bottom of their hearts. Finally, time began to slowly come back up to speed. As time was catching up Centurious spoke in a soft and understanding voice.

Centurious: "Well I guess we'll just hold you to your promise then. However, nothing we spoke of leaves this room. Got that?"

Raja *smiling*: "You bet!"

Time had reached its regular speed and now and Raja closed the door to the principle's room behind him. As he looked up he saw his whole friend group outside and heard Sarah speak.

Sarah: "So what'd they say? What was bambino mad about? Did we do something wrong? Will I need to stand up for you or something?"

Raja just smiled and spoke in as calm a voice as he could muster. 

Raja: "Oh it was nothing. They just called me in there to tell me to enjoy the days to come."


	18. The Hunt for Love

It was early in the morning and the early morning sun was bright and powerful as it shot down on all the students as they walked to their first classes. The sounds of footsteps going all around the school grounds made for a soothing drone to Raja as he was still tired from studying late the night before. Kizutsu looked as he normally did with his calm and happy demeanor from having a set sleeping schedule. Vine had been used to his regular sleeping schedule so he was used to waking up early even when he lacked sleep. Cronus was the only one joining Raja in the feeling of exhaustion. Kizutsu went into the garden by himself saying how he would catch up after he checked his tulips. Eventually, the rest of the group met the girls in front of their dorm which had an open window with fire shooting out of it and into the sky.

Raja: "What in the world?"

Sarah: "Let's just say that last night had some intense gossip that got out of hand."

Vine*smiling*: "What happened did the girls start fighting over whether or not they could date me?"

Sarah: "Not over you they didn't."

Vine: "Let me guess. Kizutsu and Cronus?"

Raja: "Makes sense, they are two of the school's "seven notorious models"."

Vine: "Considering you guys are in the Girls Dorm you must have access to the secret list of crushes. could you tell me which people have a crush on me?"

Raja remembers hearing a rumor that the Girls Dorm holds a magically made scroll, gifted by cupid, that will show anybody the user targets as well as everyone that currently likes said target of the scroll. It was an interesting item that no boy except for Centurious has seen the scroll in person. The scroll is so heavily guarded that every year there is a tradition that on the eve that the first tournament of the year is announced all the boys try to raid the Girls Dorm in order to have a fun go at trying to see the scroll in person.

Sui: "You see the girls are responsible for the fact that we don't use the scroll but to see anything but the numbers of people interested in the target."

Vine: "So what's the number for me?"

Sui: "We haven't cared to check your numbers."

Vine: "Ouch! that hurts you know?"

Raja: "Don't worry Vine I'm sure there is someone out there who will give you a solid hug of pity."

Vine: "As long as the giver is attractive I'll take that hug."

They laughed for a little bit until Kizutsu began walking up to the dorm with a smile on his face. Suddenly, a large group of girls squealed with delight as they saw him coming towards the dorm with his genuinely warm smile. Sui turns around in haste to give all the girls a scowl and an annoyed face, to which they all returned the face. As the group got together they decided to head over to their morning class. Times felt pretty happy when they were together in a group, good grades were usually one of the most common things among the group. However, Sui and Vine could only keep up because of the rest of the group tutoring them as necessary. They passed by the still amazing architecture and agriculture of the school. Its ever-expansive land made it seem like it went on forever past the school. This was only due to the location of the school in a magic space on top of Mt.Fuji where Chi could properly flow for all the new coming students to have an easier time adjusting. Despite its harsh initiation, the school was fairly welcoming to all chosen students who try to join in. The school had many clubs and sports to choose from for the students to further enrich their mental and physical talents that manifest up here. As the group reached their classes they stood and waited for Bambino to come and give his lessons. It took Bambino fifteen minutes to get into class today. When he got in he put his materials down and gave an important announcement.

Bambino: "Hey class I'm going to give you guys a quick announcement on an upcoming event this semester."

He paused for a moment before speaking to everyone again.

Bambino: " The in-class tournament will be held soon."

Suddenly a student raised his hand. Raja looked over to notice it was the boy with the chi to make magical healing springs.

Student: "What do you mean in-class?"

Bambino: "I mean that this tournament will have classes fighting one on one Battles with themselves in order to determine who goes on to the Worldwide School tournament."

All the students started to get pumped up from the new revelation that was just given to them about the upcoming school tournament. Suddenly Raja could feel his school provided phone silently vibrate in his pocket. Before going to eat lunch all the boys in the school gathered up in the largest bathroom like the in-class message had told them too. Then they opened their phone at the same time, much to the surprise of the main group, to check if they were going to get another message. Suddenly all of the boys felt a heart-crushing feeling before it died down.

Raja: "It couldn't be."

Then a voice rang from above the boys on the chandelier.

Centurious*waving*: " Hey, fellow men."

All the freshman students stared up in awe at Centurious as he simply sat on the expensive light source.

Centurious: "Since I've stopped time I'll now give the announcement. The annual dorm raid for the girl's hidden treasure."

Then suddenly Bambino's arms shot quickly from atop the chandelier and latched on to the sides of the bathroom roof. From the mechanical stretchings of his arms, a large flag draped down to present us with the inscription "Hunt for Cupids Scroll(in two days)" in big bright colors. As all of the boys saw this they all became... slightly disappointed and let out a sigh.

Centurious: "What? does this event not catch the newer students fancy/"

Random Student: "No we are just disappointed that this is what you show us your abilities for."

Centurious: "Well of course. It's not like I am trying to kill you guys or anything."

Bambino then popped a megaphone out from his chest and spoke.

Bambino*through the megaphone*: "Whatever we use our powers for matters from person to person. Centurious's only help will be telling us that we should begin our raid in two days at around 8:00 AM for the highest chance of success."

Vine shot a glance toward Raja and instantly they both knew what their goal was. Raja thought to himself "I will get Vine that scroll." Vine was thinking "Maybe I'll find a girl other than the military cougars who are into me." Both were completely unprepared for the upcoming situation nonetheless. On the days leading up to the event, the boys had made plans to attack the Girls Dorm. No boy was left out of the loop, except for Kizutsu for special reasons. Finally, the day had come, and the boys were gathered outside of the Boys Dorm at 7:30 for their mission. All boys chosen by the figures of stealth were to go around the girl's dorm and extract any info they could on the whereabouts of the scroll or anything guarding it. The boys who specialized in espionage and deception were to go around making distractions and setting traps. All the powerhouses were to wait outside until a full layout of the girl's dorm had been given to them and the whereabouts of the scroll would be this time. Each separate group had their own plans for how they would go about things and get the information necessary.

The boys were ready.

It hit 7:45 and all the spying and espionage boys broke in from different areas of the girl's dorm. The girls were ready though. immediately two of the five espionage groups were caught in combat and fighting for their lives in an unfamiliar horizon. The spies were going about their business when suddenly one man began calling Vine, Who was leading the powerhouses and Kizutsu.

Vine: " Alpha squad leader what is it, Soldier?"

Voice over Phone: "Sir I got a glimpse of the layout. Double checked it since they redesign the rooms and layout of the girl's dorm every year for this event."

Vine: "Good job soldier, now I need you to send me the layout of the dorm."

Voice: "Yes sir."

Suddenly Vine got a text and opened it to reveal the floor plans of the dorm for this year. The plan was in motion. all they needed now was any info on where the scroll would be. suddenly the girls started picking up the slack. Starting at around 8:30 more of the espionage groups started to get cut off and one or two spies had been caught and disconnected from the network before they could leak any info about how far ahead the guys were and who was involved. Finally, an espionage member screamed through the mic.

Voice: "Vine it's in the basement this year. It's guarded by the powerhouses of the girl's dorm and equipped with the traps to knock you guys down."

Vine: "Thank you so much, soldier."

Vine then saluted to the dorm.

Vine*shouting*: "For all our fallen men we will now seek the scroll. FOR LOVE!"

Everyone: " WE FIGHT!"

Vine: "WHY!?"

Everyone: "BECAUSE WE ARE EITHER INSECURE OR WE'RE CURIOUS!"

Vine: "THEN CHARGE WITH PLAN A."

Kizutsu: "Sorry to ask right now, but what is plan A?"

Suddenly a large group of girls was found in the front lobby of their Dorm. upon seeing this, Vine turned towards Kizutsu and put his hand on his shoulder before speaking regretfully.

Vine*looking down regretfully*: "We will never forget your sacrifice."

Kizutsu: "Wait. WHA--?"

Suddenly, Vine threw Kizutsu at the army of girls only to have them scream and reach out to save him as best as they could. Once safe all the girls began to fight over Kizutsu, Especially Sui, making a large distraction and opening a path into the main lobby. Before all the boys entered the building with their top speed they would all stop at the front door and give Kizutsu the salute for a fallen soldier only to be met with kizutsu yelling back at them

Kizutsu: "You guys go on, but tell vine that the next time I see him I'm going to rip his balls off!"

His sacrifice was the most important part of their plans for entering the building. Now, they had reached the staircase which they could safely take down to the basement. They rushed in only to be met with large floods of girls trying to hide and protect their Dorm's prized position. Wave by wave the men dived around and the powerhouses that can hit large groups with their attacks, this included Cronus, started clearing the women in the front so that the guys who were better at one-on-one combat could be the most useful. The boys had spent two entire days compiling data and practicing so that they were best prepared for the fearsome fighters of the Girls Dorm. All the area attacking girls managed to take out an insane amount of boys who jumped in the way to take hits for the single-target guys. Finally, they made it to the last floor and broke through the giant golden gates that were waiting for them. As soon as they had broken through the main doors the boys glanced at their obstacles... and It was their worst nightmare. The defensive line-up consisted of Sarah, Sui (who had surprisingly made it down there), Maple, and a strange woman with long black hair wearing a red Kimono and a mask with a Sakura blossom design. Vine lept for Sarah and fought with her on surprisingly unequal levels, with the odds in vines favor, One of the other boys rushed over and pushed back Sui by using a Limp and groaning Kizutsu as a meatshield that Sui couldn't hit. Raja was left to face either Maple or the mysterious masked lady, but then all of a sudden Maple lept up and sat on the rail post near the ceiling. Not questioning anything, Raja lept at the masked girl and came down with a kick, but to his surprise, she simply twirled around and stuck her left hand out before opening the paper fan in her palm. As his foot crashed down on the fan all of his force was immediately negated, and the girl was prepared for this since she simply flipped her fan and sent Raja flying upwards and into the ceiling where he left an indention. As he fell down he closed his eyes expecting to crash down into the ground with so much force that he would make it shatter. However, he instead landed into something that felt soft and warm, which confused him enough to open his eyes. Upon opening his eyes he was greeted to the pleasant surprise that he had fallen into the masked girls' arms and that had been hugging him tightly enough that even he found it hard to move. He looked closer to the mask and met with her eye. Her Irises were pink like a sakura tree and her pupils had been locked on his face. Then he heard a small and sweet voice come from the mask.

Masked girl: "Good luck."

The girl then threw Raja behind her until he flew through a set of double doors. before exiting the room he caught a glimpse of Sui and Sarah's surprised faces and Maples's look of confused anger towards the masked girl. After crashing through the doors he landed in a large temple shaped area. As he went to look he noticed that the double door had locked him in the room. Raja began looking around since he was curious, and this looking helped him stairs leading up somewhere. At the top of the stairs was the flat roof of the temple and a large space full of space dust and clouds. In front of him, there was a lawn chair and a bunch of floating screens showing footage of the planets, heaven, and the underworld. suddenly the person in the lawn chair spoke out. The voice the man produced was so soft and gentle on the ears that you would never want him to stop speaking to you.

Mysterious unseen man: "So you actually have a winner on the boy's side? I haven't seen men do that since.."

Mysterious unseen man: " Well. tell me what are you doing here?"

Raja: "Well, I came here for the Scroll that the other boy's wanted."

Mysterious Voice: "Well guess I should introduce myself to you."

The mysterious figure then stands up and turns towards Raja and smiles. He was a marble white man who stood at around 6 feet. His eyes were black and purple like the ever expanse of the stars and his teeth were straight pearls that shone in this space. His curly hair was a dirty blonde and his facial features revealed the beauty in its true form from his perfectly shaped face. The Body of a man who had been personally Chiseled was now walking towards."

Mystery Man: "Well hello there my good sir I am Eros, or if you prefer roman I'm known to be Cupid."

Raja: " You're Cupid? Like the baby with angel wings and a heart bow?"

Eros: "Well that's me horribly deformed into a cartoon because the Christian people needed a babylike representation of love. Although, I do have a bow and wings."

Raja: "Huh, I would say that's weird but I am honestly more intrigued by this scroll the boy's kept mentioning."

Eros: "Oh right! here you go."

Eros then handed Raja a small apple watch that jumped and locked itself onto his left arm. This surprised Raja and made him jump to try and remove it. As he slapped the watch on his wrist it didn't come off and instead pulled him with it. After he slapped it the color of the watch turned a subtle brown like his tan Indian skin.

Eros: "I'd say it matches pretty well, what do you say?"

Raja: "Uhm I'd like it if it didn't leap onto me."

Eros: "Don't worry, that just means that the watch likes you and swears it's loyalty."

Raja: "Are you trying to tell me that it's sentient?"

Eros: "Why would it jump and blend in otherwise?"

Raja: "Fair point."

Eros: "Well, I don't have much time so listen carefully. That watch can make calls, use a Gps, tell time, and hold the two preinstalled apps in it. The first app is called Love god which lets you take one person you've met and found out who loves or hates them, why they feel that way, and where the target is located. The second app is called Sublime Protection which makes the watch indestructible as well as only works for you. with the second app, you can remove it and clean yourself without it getting in the way, however, once you are finished the watch will fly towards you through space and time to keep your position secret."

Raja: "Well this is one multi-purpose watch."

Eros: "I mean hey you earned it by reaching me."

Raja: "Well Thanks al--."

Eros: "No problem, bye."

Suddenly Raja was shot through a portal mid-sentence and sent through space and Time until he shot through the doors and back into the middle of the basement. When he stood up and looked around all he saw was everyone duking it out like they hadn't moved a second since he had left. Everyone turned to look at him and jump for him. Suddenly Centurious appeared out of nowhere and lifted Raja up by his arm so he could speak.

Centurious: "And Eros has chosen a winner!"

Centurious's voice echoed throughout the building followed by the resounding cheer of all the boys who were still awake. This was the first victory for the boy's dorm since Centurious had done his raid.

While all the boys were heading home they would ask Raja to check who liked them. Raja checked and would only tell them if there was someone who liked them, rather than who liked them. This didn't upset them since they wanted things to unfold as naturally as they could, with the exception of the few who really wanted to know. As the night was setting in and everyone was in their beds getting to sleep Raja became curious and decided to look up all of his dorm mates' names. For all of them, he got quite a surprise. When he looked up everyone that loved and hated Cronus for everything other than looks he got a slightly large list of older people and one god. The one god who happened to care for him was Zeus/Jupiter who loved him because it turns out that he is actually the father of Cronus, this meant that Cronus was a full-on demi-god. All the other people on his like side were old people that lived on his street back in China. They all cared for him because they thought of him as their own child and wished the best for him after what the scroll called "the incident." Then he stumbled upon Cronus's mother who was the only one on the list that hated him. It explained that his mother was raped by Zeus until she became pregnant, and while pregnant she tried to swallow poison to kill Cronus many times. To his mother's dismay, no matter how much she tried to end Cronus's life before his actual birth he always survived. After she gave birth, she hated Cronus's and always looked at him as "that child" despite his obvious efforts to make peace with his mother. Worst of all was "the Incident," this was when his mother hit her tipping point and tried to stab him to death in the middle of the night. In defense, Cronus unlocked his Chi and ended up shocking his mother and paralyzing her. Raja didn't want to read any more of that story so he decided to switch over to Vine. Vine's mother was part of the Hellenic special ops assassin core and his father was a war photographer. His mother never checked to see if she became pregnant and would continue her daily drinking without care. When she found out she was pregnant her husband had already died trying to take photographs in the middle of combat, but this didn't stop her from trying to survive until Vine's birth. His mother had passed after giving birth to him which is what lead to him being raised by the armed forces. Apparently, Vine knew about his parents and what happened to them, but he still decided to follow them and join the army. Finally, there was Kizutsu, but no matter the filter there where only three people that appeared on the list. Only Sui and his parents appeared on his lists. His sister had loved him since the day she turned five, which although creepy also gave insight as to how strongly she cared for him. Meanwhile, Kizutsu's parents have hated him ever since he was chosen by Susanoo-no-Mikoto. Raja was too scared about what he'd find about himself if he ever decided to put his own name so he decided to go to bed with the feeling that he understood his roommates a little more now. However, that didn't stop the dirty feeling of forcefully reading their hidden pasts.


	19. Getting Down to Business

After earning the watch, Raja and his pals continued going to their normal classes together. Upon reaching their PE class and sitting down they realized that there was a calendar on Professor Bambino's desk. It was a large blank calendar that was flipped to December. Raja checked his love watch to see that it was November 1st, 2045. Confused, but not willing to get in trouble, the gang sat in their seats. As Bambino walked in he looked around as if he was sizing up his students. As he reached his desk, he grabbed the calendar and set it on the wall, not without putting on the evil teacher grin he likes to wear. After finishing, Bambino circled December 15 four times with his red marker. When finished he turned back to the class and coughed like he was going to give an announcement.

Bambino: "Well, can anyone here tell me why I circled the 15th?"

A few students raised their hands, some with sure faces and some with doubts about the answer.  
Bambino looked around the room and called on Sarah, who didn't have her hand up, to answer the question.

Sarah: "Wild guess here. Is it when the in-school tournament begins?"

Bambino: "Close, it's when the first battle of the tournament happens. That's why I'll be preparing you kids to fight until the 14th comes around."

Sarah: "Isn't our class pretty strong though?"

After saying this Bambino looked towards her and started to laugh like a villain. He laughed so hard that he almost fell down.

Sarah: "Okay, screw you too."

As Bambino regained his composure, he slowly straightened his back and spoke calmly.

Bambino: " This class is strong when compared to the average superhuman, but very few children in this class are strong enough to touch a General that's been trained."

Then a child in the back spoke out in a worried voice.

Random Kid: " Is the gap in skill really that large?"

Bambino: " I'm going to be honest, the gap is so large that many of you could die from their weakest slap."

Vine: " Well, Shit."

After that small talk, everyone was unsure whether training would actually help them at this point. Many of them thought that it would make no point to train to try and catch up to where they are now if they were still growing stronger. Then Bambino looked at us and sighed again.

Bambino: " I can guess how you guys are feeling, but let me just say. I was in that same position when I went to school here. I felt weak and slow. But, I decided that I would never let that stop me from growing, and with a lot of hard work and dedication. I beat and outgrew the generals of my time. so trust me when I say that we CAN beat them. as long as we practice effectively that gap no longer becomes that much of an issue."

Bambino stood there contemplating what a proper strategy would be for making the students able to at least stand their own for a while in the tournament. Finally, he popped his note pad from out of his chest and began writing something. The class began working on their homework in the meantime so that they could do what Bambino had in store for them. The silence was almost nerve-wracking with how long it carried on. At around 6:30, Bambino had finally finished his planner for the coming months. He stopped writing and he wore a weird look on his face as he went back over it. With a large crack, he threw his notepad back into his automated chest cavity and looked at the classroom with unknown intensity. 

Bambino: "I've come up with a plan, but it's gonna get very rigorous on you guys real fast. First, I'll need a show of hands as to who is gonna be signing up to try this supplement for training before the upcoming tournament begins."

Raja was unsure whether he wanted to take the opportunity or leave it for personal training, but eventually recognizing his own lack of knowledge on these schools he dropped the thought of self-practice. He raised his hand only to be met with all of his friends and the rest of the class. Bambino looked surprised at the fact that the entire class was willing to do this training.

Bambino: "Good, just remember that there is no turning back once the training begins. All right, that's it for today. Tomorrow after class we will meet at the Gym door and I will be changing the environment depending on the lesson we will be covering in prep. Understood?"

Class: " Yes sir."

Bambino: "Good, dismissed."

So once again everyone left the class except for that blonde boy who had the fountain-like chi back in practice. Raja tried hard to remember his name, but it kept escaping him so he gave up after he had never spoken with him. The blonde had sharp blueish-green eyes that complemented his pale skin seemed to talk with their Teacher often enough to arouse curiosity in the mind of the students. Yet, no one cared to ask him his name whenever they see him, despite looking like he was a good kid with no issues that stood out, other than his lack of response given to anyone who called out to him. Raja told Sarah and the gang that he was staying behind to ask Bambino something before coming back to the dorms. As they left he waited outside the class and pondered about the tournament and how to deal with the challenges the other students would bring to the table for him. Raja has always felt an urgency to prove his worth and impress, however this time he had the feeling that he needed to win this tournament for his own sense of personal gain and enjoyment. It excited him to think of the combat that could ensue. As he started to slip deeper into his headspace, the vision began to fade out and thoughts processed quickly. His mind raced at high speeds for a few minutes until he suddenly couldn't think anymore. It was as if his mind wouldn't let him think about his situation any more than he wanted to. No, it was like he wasn't allowed to think. Like a broken record his brain only let out pieced and distorted memories. Then the door slammed into him and snapped him out of his wandering mind. He then saw the blonde boy walking out. finally getting a better look at him. He was a younger boy of what looked like European descent, his skin being the pale white to complement his sharp features. His eyes were a shining sky-blue and moss green, but with the weird crystalline effect. His recognizable hair was kept in a slightly messy taper haircut that covered his squarish face and tight jawline. His ears came up into a slight point, which was only slightly noticeable from up close due to his height of 5'3 forcing Raja to look down. Since he had his chance he decided to speak to his classmate.

Raja: "Hey there dude!"

But to no avail, the boy simply walks by as if Raja was never there. Raja ran up after the boy and calls out to him. 

Raja: "Hello!"

Still no response, Raja became a bit annoyed and clapped his hands loudly behind the blondie. Not even a flinch from the boy. Raja then stomped the ground and yelled out towards the boy.

Raja: "EXCUSE ME?"

The boy then stopped in his tracks and looked around a bit. Still not looking back, Raja became extremely annoyed at this gesture and finally grabbed the blondie and turned him around. The boy looked very concerned and surprised at Raja's face of major annoyance staring back at him with bloodshot eyes. The boy scrunched his hands together and began doing some gestures with his hands. Raja became confused and looked at the boy to see what was going on. The boy looked like he had before. But now that Raja was up close he noticed that there were heavy scars on the boy's ears. Looking like healed stitches that went deep into his ears, it dawned on him that the boy was deaf and wasn't intentionally ignoring him. Now in an awkward spot with the classmate that he couldn't speak to, Raja slowly backed off and got down into a groveling position and pulled out a notecard. He wrote "I'm sorry for yelling and manhandling you" on the notecard and handed it over to the boy. The boy looked confused and apologetic when Raja dropped down, but then took his card and read it quickly. turning the card around the boy scrawled something down on it with the pencil he had on him. The boy then handed the card back to Raja with a note written back on it. It read " It's okay, I don't tend to catch people calling out to me since I don't have my hearing. My name is Mather Sercova what's yours?" Raja wanted to write more, but the notecard was filled already. Raja then moved his Apple watch out and used his other hand to make the sign of a phone on his other ear. Mather looked with a twinkle in his eyes and a softness to his smile as began to dig through his pockets and pulled out a phone as pencils and candies dropped out of his pocket. With that, he held his phone out to Raja and waited for a response. So Raja, now enjoying the situation, put his number into Mather's phone without seconds thoughts and handed the phone back. Mather's then pops his fingers across the screen without a hitch and Raja's watch rings with the notification of a text. Raja checks it out to see Mathers message of "hello!!!, I hope that we could be friends. I haven't made any friends yet due to my inability to communicate easily." Raja sent back a message saying "It's no problem, I'm always happy to make new friends with people that seem worthwhile." Reading this gave Mathers what seemed like infinite joy as he bounced around Raja with a smile. With a new friend made Raja decided to head back to his dorm and train with his roommates for what was coming up next. On his way back he decided to pick up some more school supplies in case he ran out, and then he decided to read his books on the way back home. Mid walk Raja and his new friend exchanged some more messages about their thoughts on the upcoming tournament. This allowed Raja to find out about the medicine and healing based students being tested on how well they can heal the wounds of people in both the in-school tournament and the worldwide major School tournament. Knowing there is an even larger tournament, Raja finally knew why Bambino was so worried about the upcoming tournament. He understood that Bambino needed to see if any of us could participate in the much more taxing and rewarding tournament. But, Raja could tell Bambino also wanted to see us succeed and do well. Understanding his situation meant knowing how to grow and nurture his skills through practice. The practice he now knew he needed to focus on. Raja opened his room door and moved over to his calendar and began to write down his new plans for the tournament. And, all of it was dedicated to the upcoming challenge. Smiles and thoughts raced through his head, his thoughts hadn't been this jolly and excited during his stay in the orphanage. Maybe this was his calling. Maybe this was a lesson. Either way, Raja wasn't going to be unprepared to face his new moments.


End file.
